NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls may not be in crunch time yet, but they are entering the fourth quarter.
We are officially one month out from the 2024-25 NBA Trade Deadline. Among the most important days on the league calendar, the Bulls have been considered one of the more intriguing potential sellers this season.
The main reason for that is their two remaining veteran All-Stars, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. By opting to move on from DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso this offseason, all signs pointed toward a youth movement and complete roster blowup. This is especially true when we factor in the protections on their 2025 first-round pick, which they had previously traded to the San Antonio Spurs. The selection must land within the Top 10 for Chicago to keep the pick. Considering they’ve been on a fast track to nowhere with their back-to-back Play-In Tournament losses, wouldn’t adding another lottery pick be a priority?
Unfortunately, we’re still asking this question after 35 games into the regular season. While we have at least heard the Bulls are willing to take any and all calls, whether or not they are negotiating in earnest is unclear. Likewise, the interest in their veteran talent has been marginal at best. This has left the organization in a very risky spot with only four weeks left to make a move!
Bulls Trade Deadline Status Check
The Bulls currently sit 16-19 on the season and 10th in the East. With every veteran-led victory over teams like Boston and New York, they further separate themselves from the conference’s bottom tier, thus hurting their chances of keeping their pick.
If the season were to end today, the Bulls would be favored to land the No. 10 pick in the lottery. While this would mean they keep the selection, it also serves as a reminder that their current margin for error is extremely low! They are far closer to losing their pick than keeping it. And the fact they have the third-easiest remaining schedule in the league, per Tankathon, only makes the former more likely.
Indeed, this is why selling off pieces ASAP should be the front office’s goal. Yet, we have no reason to believe it is. I understand the Bulls can’t necessarily control the market value of LaVine, Vucevic, and their other veterans. This front office has lost a lot of leverage over the years. At the same time, they only have themselves to blame for that! If they really took on a seller’s mindset, one has to imagine we would at least have more rumors than we have thus far.
The only activity we’ve seen has been some recently-quieted chatter about Zach LaVine to Denver and one connection between Nikola Vucevic and the Warriors. Conversely, we’ve seen multiple reports that the Bulls’ current asking price for either player is too high! We heard in early December, mid-December, and late December. Not great!
Look, a front office is allowed to play some hardball, but the Bulls have to understand that they are not in a position of power. Teams will be more than fine watching them lose in another Play-In Tournament and hand a lottery pick to the San Antonio Spurs. Is this to say Chicago should be forking over some of their own assets to get rid of their veterans? No, but I’m not sure many teams are even asking for that right now. They’re likely just refusing to offer Chicago strong first-round draft capital, which we know is what they have apparently wanted for Vucevic.
The more days we’re able to cross off the calendar, the more likely it feels that Chicago has another silent trade deadline. This is why I’m hoping that, at the very least, a recent report from Marc Stein of The Stein Line proves true:
“The complications Chicago faces in trying to ship out another former All-Star in Zach LaVine have been well-chronicled, but the Bulls are expected to find deals between now and the Feb. 6 deadline involving Vučević and possibly Lonzo Ball.”
We need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that Zach LaVine finishes the year in Chicago. Moving his remaining two years, $95.0 million mid-season has looked harder and harder in this new era of harsh tax apron restrictions. Does that mean it’s completely off the table? No, but he probably has to be considered the least likely to be moved.
Nevertheless, the Bulls can show they are doing the right thing by moving players like Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, and Torrey Craig. Stein seems to report that this is the expectation, which gives us at least some hope as we look toward a pivotal few weeks. Still, I’m not holding my breath.
