Trade rumors are beginning to ramp up, as the February 8 deadline is just a couple of weeks away. The Chicago Bulls have a ton of different players who could be trade candidates, and it will be up to them as to who they let go of and who they hold onto.
Zach LaVine is the most popular names in terms of rumors, but the reported interest levels are supposedly low around the league. That said, the Detroit Pistons have reportedly shown some interest in landing LaVine, but the Bulls’ asking price is through the roof, which could prevent a deal from happening.
According to James L. Edwards of The Athletic, the Bulls are asking for Bojan Bogdanovic and one of Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, or Jalen Duren in a trade for LaVine.
“The Chicago Bulls and Pistons have had conversations involving Zach LaVine, league sources say,” Edwards wrote. “Chicago appears to be locked in on a package involving Bojan Bogdanović and one of Detroit’s blue-chippers for LaVine and his hefty contract. Once again, the Pistons have shown no interest in parting with any of Cunningham, Ivey, Duren or Thompson. It is possible Detroit considers adding LaVine when/if the Bulls’ asking price goes down. However, those are discussions that have been happening and will continue to happen internally.”
In his article, Edwards also noted that the Pistons consider Cunningham, Thompson, Ivey, and Duren as their blue-chip prospects moving forward.
Considering LaVine’s contract, injury issues, and subpar play on defense, asking for a top-tier youngster and a quality rotation piece in return is an unreasonable asking price.
