Bulls news: Dunk exchange, renewed rivalry and Zach LaVine trade updates

The focus of the Chicago Bulls offseason has shifted for now as fans get their first look at Matas Buzelis. 

He’s been impressive so far and looks ready to play in the NBA. He’s confident and tenacious with the ball, can score from all over the court and has already provided some highlight-reel dunks. 

There were plenty of those on display in the Bulls Summer League loss to the Pistons as former teammates Buzelis and Ron Holland II met for the first time. 

The 5th pick vs. the 11th pick in the draft 

Matas Buzelis was long rumored to be on the Pistons’ radar with the 5th pick before they made the somewhat surprising move of taking Ron Holland II instead. 

The two are similar players with shared flaws, as both have questionable long-range shots and have so far been inefficient offensively, which you would expect from rookies playing with teammates they just met. 

But they didn’t disappoint in the dunk department, as both these guys can fly and treated the crowd with an array of put backs and dunks in traffic: 

Buzelis and Holland II are friends from their time with the G-League Ignite, but that’s not going to stop them from going at each other, and this one should be interesting to watch and argue about, as it's possible that if the Pistons had taken Buzelis, Holland might have ended up with the Bulls.

It could be just enough to spark an old rivalry that needs to be renewed.

The Chicago Bulls vs. The Detroit Pistons 

It’s hard to believe looking at the present-day state of these two franchises, but this used to be the best rivalry in basketball, trust me, I was there.

Michael Jordan and company had to vanquish the Bad Boy Pistons to finally get their first title and there was no love between those teams as was well-documented in The Last Dance and the fact that Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas still talk s*** about each other to this day. 

But it’s been a long time since these two teams were good at the same time, or even on the same timeline, which could change starting next season. It’s unlikely either team will be good, but they are rebuilding at the same time, will play each other four times and now have young players who have reason to bring a little extra intensity. 

NBA rivalries are not what they used to be, which is a shame, so hopefully these two young teams will get an old one going again. 

The Zach LaVine trade market is dead 

The possible Zach LaVine trade has been looming over the Bulls’ entire offseason so far, but it seems as though the talks are dead for now. 

According to Luke Adams at HoopsRumors: 

"...Bulls’ top executives suggested on Sunday that they don’t want to make a bad deal to just get LaVine – who has three years left on his maximum-salary contract – off their books. Karnisovas spoke as if the team is preparing for the two-time All-Star to remain on the roster this fall, and Johnson says management believes injuries contributed to LaVine’s slow start last season. "

This could all just be posturing of course, as the Bulls desperately try to claw back some leverage in this situation, as right now they have none. Everyone knows they want to trade him and teams aren’t going to give up on their demands if it means taking on the three years of LaVine’s deal. 

It’s gotten ridiculous at this point, as LaVine is still a good player who can rebuild his value and reputation just by staying healthy for half a season.  

It’s a tough spot for the Bulls, who need to be patient here, as a market could develop if there is an injury or a team gets desperate, but keeping LaVine might be enough to ensure the Bulls are just good enough to lose their top-10 protected draft pick in 2025, so this will be a tough needle to thread. 

Given the history of this front office when it comes to asset management, these two conflicting goals should concern fans of the Bulls.