The Chicago Bulls went all-in on a core composed of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball. The front office decided to let go of most of its young assets and draft picks, but Chicago still has not gotten past the first round of the playoffs. Vucevic is on an expiring contract, and DeRozan’s contract already ends next season.
With the horrible start of the Bulls this season, it does not seem that they will be a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference, so the ceiling for them is the play-in tournament. That is underwhelming for a franchise that invested its future in this particular iteration of Chicago. With DeRozan at 33 and Vucevic at 32, along with an injury-prone LaVine, these are some predictions for the Bulls’ outlook for the trade deadline.
Bulls trade Nikola Vucevic, Alex Caruso
The Bulls acquisition of Nikola Vucevic from the Orlando Magic was questionable from the beginning. Many NBA pundits felt they gave up too much for, at best, a third-best player on a championship-contending squad. That turned out to be the case as Orlando has been delighted by the development of Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner, foundational pieces for the Magic who are both more impactful than Vucevic now and still have ample room to grow going forward.
As he has already reached his ceiling in Chicago, the front office must swing a deal for Vucevic before he can leave in free agency for nothing. The Bulls will need to rebuild soon, and it will start with Vucevic being swung to a team where he is a better fit. Alex Caruso can be packaged in the same deal as Nikola Vucevic or moved in a separate package.
Caruso will bring a ton of trade value as February 9th approaches because of his team-friendly contract and the plethora of roles he can play for a legitimate contender. Teams like the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers can all utilize Caruso in a vital role in the playoffs, so the Bulls may demand young assets that will be useful in their rebuild. Caruso’s value is more than the numbers on the stat sheet, and the Bulls must realize that he is the most tradable individual on the roster because of his contract and ability to play anywhere.
No one budges on Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball
There have been rumors circulating that Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan could be on the move as well. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons recently suggested that Chicago should ship LaVine to the New York Knicks and DeRozan to the Los Angeles Lakers, but those moves would be tough to pull off given salary-matching rules.
LaVine signed a five-year, $215 million max-level contract with the Bulls over the summer, after he’d already begun experiencing knee discomfort that has dogged him throughout 2022-23. Being an injury-prone athlete dwindles one’s trade value, so teams will only buy low on LaVine if he is available on the market. Chicago must not give in to the lowball offers for LaVine because it can still ascend to a higher level when his lingering knee issues are rectified.
On the other hand, DeRozan and Ball will likely remain in Chicago as well. If DeRozan gets moved, it will likely be next season when he is on an expiring contract. For Ball, he holds diminished trade value because he has not played for several months already due to a knee injury that also cost him most of last season.
The Bulls are not close to competing for a championship, and this trade deadline will be a difficult one for them.
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