The Chicago Bulls are still a trade or two away from launching a certified rebuild.
If Chicago fails to trade Zach LaVine or Nikola Vucević before the season, the Bulls will be stuck in NBA purgatory — not bad enough to sink and not good enough to compete.
No man’s land is the last place the Bulls can afford to be in 2024-25. That could mean losing their protected top-10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Chicago has struggled to find a market for LaVine, but the Bulls could discover there are some under-the-radar suitors for LaVine over the next seven weeks.
The Toronto Raptors stand out as a team that could be interested in adding LaVine.
Toronto has Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett on long-term deals, but the Raptors don’t have enough pure scorers on their roster. LaVine would provide that and balance Toronto’s organization.
Chicago is simply looking to get rid of LaVine’s contract by moving him to a team that is returning expiring or two-year contracts (LaVine has three years left on his deal). The Bulls would absolutely accept Bruce Brown’s expiring contract ($23 million) and Kelly Olynyk’s two-year contract ($12.8 million per season) in exchange for LaVine.
LaVine’s trade to the Raptors hasn’t been talked about at all in league circles, but it’s a quiet and smart move for Toronto and Chicago.
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