Zach LaVine is no stranger to Chicago Bulls fans. LaVine’s dubious five-year $215M maximum contract is also likely to be no stranger to Bulls fans. His 2025-26 NBA season came to a disappointing end when he had surgery to repair a tendon in his right pinky finger.
LaVine’s early offseason perhaps represented a welcome departure from an agonizing Sacramento Kings 2025-26 NBA season, culminating in a 22-60 regular season win-loss record, as well as an opportunity to mute the noise on perennial trade rumors that seem to have traveled with LaVine from Chicago to Sacramento.
Bulls fans’ familiarity with LaVine’s contract should frame an intriguing hypothetical scenario for the Bulls’ rebuilding 2026 NBA offseason.
Presuming LaVine exercises the $48.9 million player option in the final year of his contract, originally signed with the Chicago Bulls, there is an opportunity for the Bulls to engage the Kings in a trade negotiation to return LaVine to the Bulls, provided, of course, the deal also attaches draft capital to LaVine.
What should a Zach LaVine reunion trade look like?
The Kings own their first-round draft picks outright from 2027 to 2030, so the negotiations should start there. If the Kings value Josh Giddey’s skills, age, and lower salary cap percentage, then the Bulls should explore that deal framework.
Why bring Zach LaVine back?
The name of the game in a modern NBA rebuild is to acquire surplus draft capital. The Bulls should be in the hunt for a sweet spot trade space of perceived “bad contracts” that also have some element of a trade-value rehab opportunity, creating two opportunities to collect draft capital on the same player.
Zach LaVine is still an efficient shooter, with an Adjusted True Shooting Percentage of 108 (100 is league average) over his last three NBA seasons, per Basketball Reference. LaVine getting buckets would certainly bring exciting vibes to Bulls games and may be the showcase opportunity LaVine needs to finally find his way to a title-contending situation.
Worth additional consideration, the 2026-27 NBA season will be LaVine’s age-31 season, so a LaVine showing he can still be an effective scorer while in his prime could be the catalyst LaVine needs to create a trade market among the playoff-elite teams in the NBA.
Fast forwarding to the 2027 NBA trade deadline, perhaps a Bulls return is a modest asset, whether it is a young player or a second-round pick for an expiring LaVine that can juice a playoff roster’s offensive punch.
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