It was just a couple of years ago that the Chicago Bulls made a massive change in their organizational ideology. They went from a rebuilding team to a team pushing for the playoffs. This shift was signaled by a huge trade for Nikola Vucevic, followed by the team signing DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, and Lonzo Ball.
All four were paired with Zach LaVine, but injuries to Ball and an underwhelming on-court product has led to middling results. Now, as the Bulls enter the 2023 offseason, their future looks bleak. In fact, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report thinks the team will undergo major changes within the next three years.
In an article reacting to the latest rumors and dubbing them fact or fiction, Swartz discussed the previously reported notion that LaVine will not finish his current contract with the Bulls. And in Swartz’s opinion, it’s a fact.
“Fact. The Bulls are in a bad place, with a rebuild looking inevitable,” Swartz wrote. “LaVine will be traded within the next three seasons.”
Swartz stated LaVine will be gone but noted that it could occur via the desire of either party involved.
“Whether Chicago shops LaVine this offseason in a rebuild or if he grows tired of losing on a mediocre Bulls roster and requests a trade, neither path is keeping the former Slam Dunk Contest champion in town for long.
“The skepticism that LaVine lasts three more years in Chicago is deserved,” Swartz wrote.
Barring a miraculous turnaround, this Bulls team is painfully average, and it’s only a matter of time before it hits the reset button again. And that will all start with trading LaVine.
