Were the Bulls Close to Trading Zach LaVine? Sleeping Giant Status, Draft Night Possibilities, and Other Bullets

Jun 18, 2019

Now is no time for a long introduction!

The NBA offseason is in full swing and we have plenty to talk about, so after you go follow @BN_Bulls on Twitter and like us on Facebook, you can go read these bullets!

NBC Chicago Sports put out their last Bulls Talk podcast before the NBA draft this Thursday, and it’s worth a listen. Rightfully so, the beginning focuses on the Anthony Davis trade and then goes deeper into the once speculated Bulls involvement. The idea of the Bulls trading Zach LaVine and the No. 7 pick in the draft for Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball was thrown out numerous times over Twitter, but according to Mark Schanowski, the likelihood of that happening was always low. “(The Bulls were) never really were close to doing anything with Zach LaVine. They still feel very highly about Zach LaVine as a 23-year-old player who averaged almost 24 points per game last year and showed some growth in a lot of different areas,” Schanowski said.

The trade going through without a third team involved at all was rather shocking, but it definitely gave a little more confidence to LaVine’s future with the team. Think what you will about whether his performance last season was meaningful, but it certainly feels like LaVine has earned himself another year with this team.

The guys also point out that, relative to what other free agent point guards are expecting this offseason, LaVine’s $19 million owed this year could end up feeling like a bargain. D’Angelo Russell had an All-Star campaign last year, but whether he is worth $27 million per year is a reasonable question. LaVine is on track to be potentially the best player on the Bulls this season and a 20+ points per game scorer (after all, he ended with all-star caliber numbers last season… just wasn’t on a winning team), so $19 million could end up looking plenty worth it.

(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Oh my, so apparently ESPN’s Brian Windhorst called the Bulls a “sleeping giant.” I’m glad this man has more confidence in this squad then basically all of Chicago put together.

Earlier today…@WindhorstESPN called the #Bulls a "sleeping giant".
Does @ryenarussillo agree?
Ryen discusses Bulls, #NBA draft, the #Lakers AD trade, and all the free agency drama now. RR is one of our favorite guests.
— Silvy (@WaddleandSilvy) June 17, 2019

I will not bash on Windhorst too though. In the Eastern Conference, almost anything can happen, and a starting lineup which includes Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr., plus a healthy Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. could definitely be in the running for a playoff spot this year. Like I always say, the Nets and the Magic squeaked in this past season and even won games, so, yeah, it’s not crazy to think the Bulls can do the same thing. As of now though, I wouldn’t consider the Bulls a “sleeping giant,” unless the giant is like a baby giant. Also, is a baby giant just a normal sized person? These are the questions.

NBA.com Bulls writer Sam Smith put together an article which outlines three trades the Bulls could make come draft night. Wisely, none of the picks deal with the Bulls trading up and giving away assets. Instead, Smith draws up trades which could net multiple draft picks for Chicago. However, adding several more picks doesn’t necessarily mean you are adding the best value. If the Bulls were to trade down, the team would have to consider how strong of a player they can get at No.7 and how deep in the draft they are willing to go.

The Athletic’s Jon Greenberg goes ahead and gives us his thoughts on the direction of the Bulls front office and this rebuild. Go give it a read, it’s sad and hopeful all at the same time.

SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell made a pretty cool interactive NBA Draft board. You are able to plug in your team’s top-three priorities and then players who fill those needs from this year’s draft will pop up. I love content like this, different and fun. Go check it out. The only issue is that the Bulls probably have more than three major needs… *sigh.*

This is one of my favorite things I've ever worked on at @SBNation.

Tell us what your team needs and we'll supply a custom NBA draft board https://t.co/PHMIQ5Jjvi pic.twitter.com/mU7yEIkxnE

— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) June 17, 2019

And, finally, we had a content-fest yesterday. So make sure you didn’t miss anything:

Monday of NBA Draft week = tons of content

Russell to Bulls? ➡️ https://t.co/JUeUWc1Z9V
Garland in play? ➡️ https://t.co/mkk5ezoLNi
The No. 4 pick ➡️ https://t.co/41JpSzyUeU
Beverley talk ➡️ https://t.co/DLHSWlifcB

Oh, and even more, so go follow @BN_Bulls! pic.twitter.com/s0rK3DEzod

— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) June 18, 2019

written by

Elias Schuster

Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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