The Chicago Bulls have made it clear that they’d like to trade Zach LaVine, but the market for him is less clear.
So far, it’s been non-existent, as the Bulls weren’t able to lure anyone into taking LaVine at the deadline, and one recent rumor said Chicago had dropped their asking price significantly since then, even saying they may have to give up assets just to get rid of him.
There is probably a middle ground between a big payoff and paying to give him away and one recent trade proposal tries to walk the line.
Chicago Bulls trade Zach LaVine to the Orlando Magic for Cole Anthony, Jett Howard and two 2nd-round picks
This trade proposal came from Bleacher Report, who must have a machine that cranks these out all day. They are like the Stephen King of fake trades.
In it, the Bulls ship LaVine to Orlando (one of the teams rumored to be interested) in exchange for guard Cole Anthony, wing Jett Howard and two second-round picks.
It’s not exactly an exciting return, but it would certainly be better than giving LaVine away for nothing.
Anthony can play, though he’d be redundant on a team that already has young guards. He is on a somewhat team-friendly contract. He can get you buckets off the bench but doesn’t do much else. He’s also signed for three more seasons, and depending on how you view him, he was properly valued as a backup or slightly overpaid, either way, it’s not egregious and the Bulls’ guard situation could look much different after Lonzo Ball departs.
Jett Howard is a 6-foot-8 wing prospect who has barely played.
The two second-round picks would be nice for a team that is bereft of draft assets but is hardly going to move the needle for Chicago. The Bulls would also reap plenty of cap space and may be able to flip Anthony for more picks down the line.
In other words, we are officially at the point where Zach LaVine is being undervalued, as he is by far the best player in this trade if he’s healthy.
This would be a poop platter for the Bulls to eat, and they’d probably be better off being patient and seeing if LaVine can build his value. But that would likely prevent them from making other moves, so if Chicago truly wanted to move on before the season started, Orlando is one team to monitor.