Look for the Bulls to make some moves before the NBA trade deadline.
The NBA trade deadline is quickly approaching as is it on February 8th, just over a week away. One team that has some stuff to address is the Chicago Bulls. Trade talks around the Bulls were lively early in the season when some of their star players didn’t seem to gel with the team, and the on-court product in Chicago was not looking good. However, the Bulls have really turned things around in the past couple of the months, and they are now a team fighting for a playoff spot. They are currently 22-25 and the nine seed in the East. If the season ended today, they would be in the play-in tournament.
There have been a lot of trade rumors surrounding the Bulls this season, and most of them are surrounding Zach LaVine. LaVine is often regarded as the best player in Chicago, so when the team was struggling at the beginning of the season, it seemed like there was a mutual want for a trade. However, injury trouble for LaVine and a turnaround for the Bulls have created some question marks.
When Zach LaVine first went out with an injury this year, the Bulls were not looking good as they had gotten off to a 5-14 start. Then, with LaVine on the bench, the team had a lot of young talent step up, and they started to win some games. People were wondering if LaVine coming back would end up hurting the Bulls, but when he came back from his lengthy injury absence, the team didn’t miss a beat. Things were looking good for the Bulls, but there was still a lot of talk in regards to LaVine being traded. Then, injury #2 happened.
LaVine is currently out with his second injury of the season, and because of that, it could be difficult for him to be traded before the deadline. His injury trouble is certainly a concern right now, and teams don’t want to trade for a guy if they don’t know if he will be able to play. Obviously, the best case for the Bulls would be LaVine coming back as soon as possible and remaining healthy through the trade deadline. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like that will happen as head coach Billy Donovan doesn’t know if a return before the deadline is a possibility. This is the biggest need for the Bulls right now.
The Bulls need to figure out what to do with Zach LaVine
Time is running out, and the Bulls need to figure out what they’re going to do with LaVine. The rumors have lasted months now, and there is only a little over a week for them to make a decision. Chicago can either trade LaVine, or they can hope for his injury troubles to go away, and he can help them win this season.
If the Bulls do decide to trade LaVine, they could end up with a good package of young talent to go with their already talented young core of players. Chicago could be set up nicely for the future with a move like that.
LaVine also could stay put this season, and he can help the Bulls win this year. This team has looked solid ever since their 5-14 start, and if they can stay healthy, they can certainly make a push for the playoffs. No matter what they decide, figuring out what to do with this LaVine situation has to be priority #1 as the trade deadline approaches.
What is the best case scenario for the Bulls?
At this point, it definitely still seems like the mutual interest is there for a trade. The Bulls and Zach LaVine likely both want this to happen, so this is still the most ideal option for both parties. Obviously, the best case scenario would be if LaVine could come back from his injury ASAP and show the league that he is healthy, because that would make it easier for Chicago to make a trade. Because of the multiple injuries that he has suffered this year, teams might be starting to think that he is too injury prone, and they aren’t going to want to go after someone that might not end up playing very much.
A trade would be the best case scenario for the Bulls because they could likely could get a package of young talent for LaVine, and that could be the start of an important build for the future. This team is already loaded with a lot of young talent like Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu who have both taken massive leaps this year, and it might be smart for the organization to think about the future instead of this current season.
There is a chance that trading LaVine could hurt the team’s chances of making a playoff push this season, but that isn’t a huge risk. The Bulls have shown this year that they can win without LaVine, and either way, the ceiling of this current team is squeaking into the playoffs as high seed or making it in through the play-in tournament. While making the playoffs is always a good thing, the Bulls aren’t built for any type of run in the postseason. If they do happen to make it to the playoffs this year, they would more than likely have a first round exit.
Because of that, it makes sense for the Bulls to jump on a good trade opportunity if it’s there. If they were competing for a top seed in the East and LaVine was a big reason why, it would obviously be a much different story. However, this team isn’t winning any championships this season, so they should be focusing on making the right decisions to make that a possibility in the future. Get some more young talent, and continue to build on the young core of players that is already there. DeMar DeRozan is another star that is a bit older, and he is another name to look out for in terms of trades for younger talent this season. Expect the Bulls to make some moves in the next week.
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