After two seasons of wandering aimlessly, the Chicago Bulls are pivoting towards a rebuild. They moved Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey, adding a young guard who averaged 17-8-6 in his sophomore season, and then this proved to be the final straw for DeMar DeRozan, who angled for an exit towards the Sacramento Kings via sign-and-trade. The next order of business for the Bulls is to continue to shop Zach LaVine in the trade market.

Alas, the market for LaVine continues to be lukewarm at best, with teams being hesitant to pull the trigger on adding the 29-year-old wing due to the huge contract that he's owed. Nonetheless, the DeRozan sign-and-trade agreement with the Kings and San Antonio Spurs could end up helping the Bulls in their ongoing quest to trade LaVine.

The Bulls received Chris Duarte and two second-round picks in the DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade, and these two draft picks could help them unload Zach LaVine's contract, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times. Still, Cowley clarified, any potential LaVine trade is a “long shot” since the “market has been screaming for over a year that there is not a lot of interest” in the former Slam Dunk Contest champion.

In a vacuum, LaVine could be helpful for any team, whether it's a rebuilding or contending one and everything in between. LaVine's injury problems are a huge concern, but this is a player who has averaged 24.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists throughout his seven-year tenure with the Bulls. Even in a down 2023-24 campaign, LaVine averaged 20/5/4, although those numbers came on reduced efficiency.

The huge elephant in the room remains the $138 million or so that's owed Zach LaVine for the next three seasons. The new CBA rules have made taking on huge contracts such as LaVine's that much more difficult, as crossing the second tax apron would impose a ton of roster-building constraints that teams don't like to be subject to. Chicago may have to stock up on more than two second-round picks if they want to unload LaVine's monster deal.

The Bulls might be stuck with Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine has been the subject of plenty of trade rumors over the past two seasons. LaVine has been linked with teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, and even the Golden State Warriors, but the Bulls have failed to find a suitable deal.

The reality is setting in for the Bulls; not only can they not acquire first-round picks in a LaVine trade, they may have to be the party that gives away draft capital just to be able to trade him away. Now, things can change if LaVine manages to bounce back in the 2024-25 season, which could then make a potential trade easier.

The Lakers are always in the business of acquiring stars, and a bounce-back season from LaVine (a return to 25/4/5 on good percentages isn't out of the realm of possibility) could make him that much more enticing of a piece to acquire. LA should have the salary filler to match LaVine's contract; a trade is contingent on how desperate the Lakers get amid an offseason in which they failed to add any of their primary targets in free agency.

Meanwhile, the Pistons have already added a few pieces to their 14-win team that they may no longer be in the running for LaVine. They added Tobias Harris on a two-year, $52 million deal, acquired sharpshooters Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley, and brought back Simone Fontecchio. The Pistons now have more floor-spacers and size on the wing, and it doesn't make too much sense for them to trade for the Bulls wing anymore.

And then there's the Warriors; they may have lost Klay Thompson in free agency, but they replaced Thompson with De'Anthony Melton and Buddy Hield. They also reportedly turned down a trade proposal from the Bulls in late June centered on the non-guaranteed contract of Chris Paul, which means that they value future financial flexibility over the possibility of adding LaVine.

At this point, there may not be a team in the association that has a need for LaVine and has the salary to trade away. He could be good on the Denver Nuggets, but the Nuggets have no contracts to build an offer around. They also let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk, and he signed for $22 million a year — or around half of what LaVine is making. The Houston Rockets are star-hunting, but they're aiming for a player of Kevin Durant's caliber, and LaVine sits multiple tiers below Durant's level.

The Miami Heat are always a team to watch out for, but is LaVine that much better than Tyler Herro to warrant a seismic change? The Bulls may be forced to hold on to LaVine due to the lack of realistic suitors for the 29-year-old.