NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls really know how to ruin everything!
One of the main reasons the NBA offseason is so great is that we get to make up a bunch of fake trades to save our favorite teams. Unfortunately, the Bulls have made it rather hard to find that perfect deal with the complicated situation in which they’ve found put themselves.
The Trail Blazers and Knicks arguably act as their best trade partners, and we discussed both of those in Part I of this post on Monday. There are definitely a few other win-ready teams that could make sense for a big trade on the surface, but it only gets that much harder the closer we look at things.
Let’s talk about some of those teams below.
Make sure to first check out Part 1 here …
Dallas Mavericks
Expectations are remarkably high in Dallas, and they’ll remain that way as long as Luka Doncic is in town. A generational talent who is already among the league’s best at just 24 years old, the Mavericks are coming off a remarkably disappointing season. They followed up their epic Western Conference Finals run by missing the Play-In Tournament entirely with a 38-44 campaign.
Even worse, this was the outcome despite trading away a haul for Kyrie Irving near the deadline. The organization sent Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, an unprotected 2029 first-rounder, and two second-rounders to the Brooklyn Nets for 20 games of Irving. They also did this knowing that Irving would hit unrestricted free agency in just a few short months. They now either have to pay an extremely unreliable player a ton of money or let him walk to another team.
If Irving does stick around, it’s hard to imagine they can then afford to strike a deal with the Chicago Bulls for either DeMar DeRozan or Zach LaVine. The new collective bargaining agreement has established harsh penalties for teams that greatly exceed the luxury tax, and they’d be in line to do just that by creating a Big 3 with LaVine’s max deal or by extending DeRozan.
If Irving were to walk, however, it’s hard not to look at LaVine as a possible Plan B for Dallas. While he may not provide the kind of defense Dallas covets, he undoubtedly provides the kind of catch-and-shoot scoring and off-ball playmaking that could fill a much-needed secondary scoring role next to Doncic. There is also no question that a LaVine-Doncic duo would keep opposing defenses honest and help decrease Doncic’s usage rating that sat second-highest in the NBA this past season, per Statmuse.
Would the Mavs have what it takes to get a deal done, though? Sending Dorian Finney-Smith to Brooklyn meant getting rid of one of their best trade chips. The 22-year-old Josh Green might be a worthwhile target after an encouraging third year in the NBA, but he still isn’t necessarily the proven young asset a franchise likes to get in return for a multi-time All-Star.
Instead, the Mavs’ most interesting package would likely center around draft capital. They have the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft and a 2027 first-round pick they can trade. Would that and some salary filler be enough to interest the Bulls? Eh …
The last thing I’ll note for now is that Dallas feels like a decent fit for Nikola Vucevic. There have been some ties between the Mavs and Deandre Ayton, suggesting that they are in the market for an upgrade at the center position. Vucevic’s floor spacing ability could be a natural fit with Doncic, and we can say the same for his superb screening ability. Having said that, a sign-and-trade acquisition for Dallas would hard-cap them for the season, which would likely make the scenario impossible.
Any past connections?
The Mavs were listed as one of a handful of teams in February who were interested in a possible trade for LaVine. Of course, the Irving acquisition has likely changed that, but the interest could pop back up if Irving walks this summer.
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers could be on the verge of losing James Harden.
Even before their season came to a close, there were rumblings about the 10x All-Star having a legitimate interest in a reunion with the Houston Rockets. If that were to happen, there would be an immediate need for Philly to find another co-star to pair with Joel Embiid, so who’s to say they don’t end up calling the Chicago Bulls?
Fans and analysts alike have seemingly always loved to list the 76ers as a possible landing spot for LaVine. The reason for that is likely his straightforward fit alongside a powerful big man in Joel Embiid. Not only could he provide the MVP with some secondary scoring assistance, but he’d give Philly a powerful perimeter scoring game to pair with Embiid’s interior dominance. It’s not hard to see a world where these two lead one of the more efficient and explosive offenses in the NBA.
Now, the idea of the 76ers targeting DeRozan is far more difficult to envision. His mid-range-heavy game wouldn’t pair as seamlessly with Embiid, who needs to do the large majority of his work inside. Now, Embiid can stretch the floor effectively, but I’m still not sure Philly would view DeRozan as the kind of wing talent needed to continue competing with the league elites.
Thanks to a completely depleted draft arsenal, any conversation between these two teams would likely have to start with Tyrese Maxey. And that wouldn’t be an easy conversation for Philly. The 22-year-old has quickly proven to be one of the better young guards in the NBA, averaging a career-high 20.3 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting from downtown this past season. So, as interested as they might be in trying to find another win-now veteran piece, it’s hard to see them wanting to give up on Maxey’s potential.
Any past connections?
Outside of the fan speculation, there hasn’t been a ton of connections here. The only reason I really bring them up is because – like Dallas – they may find themselves in a relatively desperate situation. But – unlike Dallas – they lack the kind of assets necessary to potentially get a deal done (unless Maxey is on the table or I guess a third team enters the fold).
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks have made it known that change could be on the horizon.
The organization has really struggled to recreate the magic they found during the 2021-22 season, where they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Indeed, the team has now suffered back-to-back first-round exits and had to fire head coach Nate McMillan mid-way through last season. All options are now on the table for the team to get on a better path, and that reportedly includes looking at trades for star point guard Trae Young.
That’s really where this whole conversation would have to start between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks. I’m not advocating for it nor expecting it to happen, but a Young for LaVine swap is the kind of thing that hypothetical trade talk is all about.
The Hawks would move forward with a more stable locker room and equally as exciting backcourt built around LaVine and Dejounte Murray (who happen to be really good friends, by the way!). Murray’s defense prowess would more than make up for LaVine’s deficiencies; not to mention, LaVine would have a legitimate facilitator to help open up his halfcourt game.
As for Chicago, they would finally have an answer to the question, “Who’s our point guard of the future?” For all of Young’s flaws, he is one of the most gifted passers and scorers in the NBA and is just 24 years old (four years younger than LaVine). The Bulls would have a chance to completely reinvent their offense and take a massive step into the modern NBA game.
The problem here is that a LaVine for Young swap likely isn’t netting either of the two teams much else in a trade. And that works out far better for the Hawks who have a roster with more high-upside youngsters. In other words, the whole point of trading LaVine would likely be to retool your asset pool. By presumably just getting Young in return, what are you using to retool the roster around him?
Anyway, aside from a Young-LaVine swap, there might not be an avenue for these two teams to do business. While I could see them wanting to have a stable vet like DeMar DeRozan in their locker room, they only have a 2029 first-rounder to trade right now. Maybe pairing that with one or two of Onyeka Okongwu, AJ Griffin, or Jalen Johnson (and salary filler) presents the Bulls with something to think about? But I highly doubt Atlanta does that, particularly when we consider DeRozan is up for an extension.
Any past connections?
Yes, which is the main reason why they’re included on this list. They have expressed legitimate interest in LaVine in the past, but that was also before they sent three first-round picks to San Antonio for Murray.
