As the 2024-25 season grows closer, the situation between the Chicago Bulls and Zach LaVine has still not been resolved. During a messy 2023-24 season that saw LaVine say he was open to a trade, the Bulls were not able to find a taker for the two-time All-Star, and saw a better performance from the team while he was out.
With the Bulls heading into a rebuild, LaVine remaining a part of the roster is the one thing holding the team back from fully embracing it. Rumors have linked LaVine to numerous teams over the course of 2024 including the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, and Detroit Pistons.
LaVine's trade value has plummeted since an injury shortened his season to the point that the Bulls may have to pay to give him away.
Will the Chicago Bulls pay to get rid of Zach LaVine in a trade?
LaVine has three years and over $136 million left on his salary, numbers teams will be reluctant to take on given his recent injury history.
To trade LaVine now, the Bulls would almost certainly have to kick in an asset or take on an equally-bad contract, which is what happens in this recent trade proposal.
Chicago Bulls recieve: Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nnaji
Denver Nuggets receive: Zach LaVine, 2029 1st-round pick swap (top-3 protected)
In a trade proposal from Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley, LaVine would find himself going to a championship contender. The proposed trade would see LaVine head to the Denver Nuggets along with a 2029 first-round pick swap (top-three protected) for Michael Porter Jr. and Zeke Nnaji.
For the Bulls, the ultimate goal of getting off of LaVine's contract would be complete, but it would come at a big cost. Trading a top-three protected pick swap in 2029 would almost guarantee losing a higher pick and there is a strong possibility that the Bulls could be one of the worst teams in the league.
While they received a couple of second-round picks that many believed would be used in a future LaVine trade, it is highly unlikely a contender would take his huge contract unless a first-round pick of some kind was added to the deal.
Is this a trade the Bulls would make?
Chicago Bulls trade rumors: Accept or walk away?
Despite having a contract many see as untradable, the Nuggets would be adding a two-time All-Star alongside three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. LaVine could easily fit in to the roster as the third or even 2b option, reducing the workload, while arguably having the best player in the world next to him. LaVine would thrive alongside a distributor like Joikc, allowing him do what he does best on the court.
With the Nuggets losing several key players from their 2023 championship team, adding LaVine would give them a boost in several areas while moving on from another contract many see as impossible to trade. Entering the third year of his five-year, $179 million deal, Michael Porter Jr. has taking a dip from his 2023 championship season.
In his healthiest season in the league so far, Porter averaged 16.7 PPG and 7.0 RPG in 81 games. Porter struggled in the 2024 playoffs, having five single-digit scoring games in the second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While he makes $35 million this upcoming season, $38 million in the 2025-26 season, and $40 million in the 2026-27 season, Porter's deal is more palatable than LaVine's and will become even more so in the coming years.
While acquiring MPJ could be an issue for the Bulls, he could become a valuable asset for the team whether its moving forward with the team or building his stock to be traded for picks or other promising young players. Adding Zeke Nnaji to the deal would be key for making the salaries match, adding his 8.8 million contract to Porter's $35.8 million.
Nnaji has not done much in his four seasons with the Nuggets, averaging just 3.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG. in just under 10 minutes per game, but he could be valuable to the Bulls. With Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic rumored in trades, Nnaji could slide into that center role behind Jalen Smith while being on a good deal for a Bulls team looking to avoid the luxury tax.
Watching the Nuggets potentially using the Bulls' high draft pick in 2029 would be difficult, but if Chicago really wants to end the LaVine saga, getting back a good player while only giving up a pick swap might be the best deal they can get.