The Chicago Bulls are still one trade or two away from launching a certified rebuild.
If Chicago fails to move Zach LaVine or Nikola Vucević before the season, the Bulls will be stuck in NBA purgatory — not bad enough to tank and not good enough to contend.
No man’s land is the last place the Bulls can afford to be in 2024-25. It could mean that they forfeit their top-10 protected selection in the loaded 2025 NBA Draft.
Chicago has struggled mightily to find a market for LaVine, but the Bulls might discover that there are some under-the-radar suitors for LaVine over the next seven weeks.
The Toronto Raptors stand out as a team that could be interested in adding LaVine.
Toronto has Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett on long-term deals, but the Raptors don’t have enough pure scoring on their roster. LaVine would provide that and bring balance to Toronto’s depth chart.
Chicago’s just looking to get off LaVine’s contract by dumping him on a team that returns expiring or two-year deals (LaVine has three years left on his deal). The Bulls would absolutely take on Bruce Brown’s expiring ($23M) and Kelly Olynyk’s 2 years ($12.8M per season) in return for LaVine.
LaVine to the Raptors hasn’t been discussed at all in league circles, but it’s a low-key smart move for both Toronto and Chicago.
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