The Chicago Bulls are currently a team without an identity, as they haven’t chosen a clear direction for the roster and still have uncertainty around the future of Zach LaVine.
The Bulls took a step back with the Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan trades, and embraced more of a youth movement, but there are questions whether it was enough to ensure they keep their 2025 top-10 protected draft pick and not end up in NBA purgatory again, out of the playoffs with nothing to show for it in the draft.
There are few players on the Bulls who are safe if Chicago does decide to build around their young talent. Here is how the current roster ranks in trade value, from the guys you’d have to pay to give away to the borderline untouchables.
Players with negative trade value
-Lonzo Ball
-Zach LaVine
Lonzo Ball hasn’t played in over two years, though there are promising signs that he could return.
If he does, he will make medical history as the first player to return after having his particular surgery, so nothing is certain here.
As of right now, no one would take on Ball, though that could change by the deadline if he proves he is healthy and can still play. Any injury setback would all but guarantee the Bulls are paying out the rest of his contract.
LaVine is a talented player on a contract no one wants to touch, as it still has three seasons and he’s an injury liability as well.
Like Ball, LaVine could quickly rebuild his value just by being healthy, but until he is, the Bulls would have to take a sucker’s deal to trade him.