During a recent edition of his podcast, “The Lowe Post,” Zach Lowe of ESPN noted that the noise of a potential trade between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons involving Zach LaVine trade is “real.” That said, he also noted that “if the Pistons do that, Bulls fans need to be prepared for a return that will underwhelm them.” (H/t Julia Stumbaugh of Bleacher Report)
Prior to Lowe’s information, James L. Edwards of The Athletic reported that the Bulls’ asking price for LaVine was sky-high, as they want Bojan Bogdanovic and one of the Pistons’ four blue-chip prospects – Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, or Jalen Duren. But based on Lowe’s knowledge, that likely won’t be happening.
In reality, should the Bulls and Pistons come to an agreement on a deal for LaVine, it could be for as little as salary-filler and draft capital (and not great draft capital, either).
LaVine is a quality player, but he makes a ton of money and is under contract through the 2026-27 season. Add in his relatively poor defensive play and recent injury issues, and teams seem hesitant to make a move for the Bulls star.
In turn, the Bulls could simply choose to keep LaVine around past the deadline, though reports throughout the season have indicated their desire to find a trade for the shooting guard.
Since their rough start to the year, Chicago has turned things around, as they are now in the mix for the Play-In Tournament. However, they have been just fine without LaVine in the lineup, so trading him would make some sense.
It’s unclear what the Bulls will end up doing with LaVine at the deadline, but if there are no decent offers on the board, expect him to be wearing red and black into the offseason.
