Potential Zach Trade Partners? 24/25 Edition

[PistolP]

Was just listening to the latest Bulls Talk podcast and KC was saying, despite strong mutual desire for a Lavine trade, his source is telling him the team is internally planning for Zach to be on the roster next year

[ShouldaPaidBG]

Ayo to 6th man

Giddey
Coby
Zach
Pat
Vuc

Ayo
Terry
Buzelis
Phillips
Smith

Ideally swap Smith and Vuc but ya. That's where we're at. Craig, Carter, Lonzo off the deep bench.

[sco]

Ayo to 6th man

Giddey
Coby
Zach
Pat
Vuc

Ayo
Terry
Buzelis
Phillips
Smith

Ideally swap Smith and Vuc but ya. That's where we're at. Craig, Carter, Lonzo off the deep bench.

It should be interesting to see if we are flat out focused on development vs. the bigger contract guys vs. seeing if by some miracle that this team can win games (because I firmly believe AK won't tank, even if we lose the pick).

Our best chance of winning starting line-up IMO is:

Giddey
Zach
Ayo
Pat
Smith

Our development starting line-up is:
Giddey
Coby
Pat
Matas
Smith

Our cow-tow to vets (i.e. the usual) is:
Giddey
Coby
Zach
Pat
Vuc

[Chi town]

https://youtu.be/dAcUtc8Wxnk?si=sOFaPbvFwutgyCs4

[Ctownbulls]

https://youtu.be/dAcUtc8Wxnk?si=sOFaPbvFwutgyCs4

Keep him and hope he balls out and can be traded for value at the deadline and then tank hard once 2025 rolls around.

Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk

[LateNight]

https://youtu.be/dAcUtc8Wxnk?si=sOFaPbvFwutgyCs4

I really wish the guy the best. If he’s here, I’ll root for him to succeed. He works hard - the problem was never his work ethic. I think he’ll probably have a good year wherever he ends up

[Chi town]

Was just listening to the latest Bulls Talk podcast and KC was saying, despite strong mutual desire for a Lavine trade, his source is telling him the team is internally planning for Zach to be on the roster next year

What many of us have been saying. He has to prove his health first

[WindyCityBorn]

Was just listening to the latest Bulls Talk podcast and KC was saying, despite strong mutual desire for a Lavine trade, his source is telling him the team is internally planning for Zach to be on the roster next year

What many of us have been saying. He has to prove his health first

It has been tending this way for a while. Bulls are pay to trade Zach. Zach and Klutch can’t blame the Bulls for the fact that his value is at an all-time low. They have no choice, but to work together a while longer.

Hopefully this means Vuc is gone though. Would be hilarious if Zach is last man standing from the Mid 3.

[Axl Rose]

Zach should be happy that it's his team again. If he's still bitter about being benched 3 years ago he has to get over it.

[kodo]

The biggest thing AK can do to facilitate a Lavine trade is to stop trying to salary dump on someone else. The overriding obsession with saving JR's money is what's causing the problem. For San Antonio to absorb $18M of cap space, they got a very usable Harrison Barnes and an unprotected pick swap. Now imagine what teams want to absorb $40M.

Just trade Lavine like a normal team and get some players back for $40M. Stop being the league's cheapest team and the situation can resolve quickly.

[jnrjr79]

The biggest thing AK can do to facilitate a Lavine trade is to stop trying to salary dump on someone else. The overriding obsession with saving JR's money is what's causing the problem. For San Antonio to absorb $18M of cap space, they got a very usable Harrison Barnes and an unprotected pick swap. Now imagine what teams want to absorb $40M.

Just trade Lavine like a normal team and get some players back for $40M. Stop being the league's cheapest team and the situation can resolve quickly.

Why do you have the sense the Bulls are unwilling to match salaries in a LaVine trade? One presumes that was precisely why they engineered the DeRozan trade the way they did, because it gives them that flexibility re: LaVine.

[FriedRise]

Read on Twitter

[MGB8]

Still don’t think that any team is taking Zach right now. I think people are still underestimating how much the updated CBA changed things. There is no room for “bad” max contracts anymore. The whole “Max is underpaying” notion is kind of out the window.

Look at Phoenix, one “worth it” Max in Durant, one close to worth it in Booker (maybe), and a bad Max in older Beal (and forget the for issues, on top). All 50M is per year. That bad max keeps the Suns from getting 2 - 3 high level role players to replace the one bad max. Imagine swapping out Beal for old man Conley + Dillon Brooks + DiVincenzo… (and still not paying as much).

Zach is getting paid 46M per year for the next 3 seasons AAV…. before a team would be fine with that - just be in the LT, but an elite offensive shooter who could do a bit more and pass on D would be worth it.

Now… with the extra issues created by the second apron (not to mention repeater biting more) that skillset is high level role player more than true Max (offensive focal point / creator / player you build around)… and high level role players need to be at 50–60% Max at most.

If he fully bounces back, maybe a desperate team will take a neutral value trade for him. But absent some sort of unlikely player development, that contract will still be too much of a risk for most teams.

[drosestruts]

Read on Twitter

I think the x teammates aren't even in the NBA anymore stat is a good bit of context often overlooked n Zach discussions.

It's also not unique to Zach - was just reading some similar articles about Trae Young and is it his limitations or poor roster construction. Those articles discussed Trae has never had an active teammate make an All-star game.

I think there's a lot of similarities between the two organizations. DeRozan is good but a bad fit with Lavine. Murray is good but a bad fit with Trae.

[HomoSapien]

Read on Twitter

This is a good read and articulates how I feel about Zach. He's had some meh moments, but he's overwhelmingly a professional player who brings a good attitude to an often frustrating situation. He has his weaknesses, but when healthy he's an elite and efficient scorer. Any time I've watched him in person, he's stood out as the most talented player on the court. And I think people sometimes use his athleticism to detract from his skill, which is unfair. He's an extremely skilled scorer who can make absurdly tough shots consistently.

He's had horrible teammates and been on teams that are purposely trying to lose. It's killed his rep, but I don't think there's much separation between him and guys like Beal or Booker. Fit and situation is everything in the NBA and if he was on a better franchise with better teammates his reputation would be completely different.

[jump]

Read on Twitter

This is a good read and articulates how I feel about Zach. He's had some meh moments, but he's overwhelmingly a professional player who brings a good attitude to an often frustrating experience. He has his weaknesses, but when healthy he's an elite and efficient scorer. Any time I've watched him in person, he's stood out as the most talented player on the court. And I think people sometimes use his athleticism to detract from his skill, which is unfair. He's an extremely skilled scorer who can make absurdly tough shots consistently.

He's had horrible teammates and been on teams that are purposely trying to lose. It's killed his rep, but I don't think there's much separation between him and guys like Beal or Booker. Situation is everything in the NBA and if he was on a better franchise with better teammates his reputation would be completely different.

Agree 100%.

[sco]

Read on Twitter

This is a good read and articulates how I feel about Zach. He's had some meh moments, but he's overwhelmingly a professional player who brings a good attitude to an often frustrating experience. He has his weaknesses, but when healthy he's an elite and efficient scorer. Any time I've watched him in person, he's stood out as the most talented player on the court. And I think people sometimes use his athleticism to detract from his skill, which is unfair. He's an extremely skilled scorer who can make absurdly tough shots consistently.

He's had horrible teammates and been on teams that are purposely trying to lose. It's killed his rep, but I don't think there's much separation between him and guys like Beal or Booker. Situation is everything in the NBA and if he was on a better franchise with better teammates his reputation would be completely different.

Agree 100%.

Same here. That said, I believe that Clutch has been out there doing some sort of media campaign trying to improve Zach's narative.

[ShouldaPaidBG]

His teammates have been awful for the most part, I was watching 2020-21 highlights he was mostly flanked by garbage.

Pat and Coby are better
Giddey instead of Thad
Ayo instead of Satoransky
Buzelis/Phillips/Craig instead of Otto Porter/injured sad Lauri/Garrett Temple

Wendell and Gafford missed a lot of games, Vuc came eventually....team was a s show and Zach looked pretty good. It was also the no crowd season so hard to put full stock in. But that was the last time we saw Zach without Demar so it's all we have to go on.

[jump]

This is a good read and articulates how I feel about Zach. He's had some meh moments, but he's overwhelmingly a professional player who brings a good attitude to an often frustrating experience. He has his weaknesses, but when healthy he's an elite and efficient scorer. Any time I've watched him in person, he's stood out as the most talented player on the court. And I think people sometimes use his athleticism to detract from his skill, which is unfair. He's an extremely skilled scorer who can make absurdly tough shots consistently.

He's had horrible teammates and been on teams that are purposely trying to lose. It's killed his rep, but I don't think there's much separation between him and guys like Beal or Booker. Situation is everything in the NBA and if he was on a better franchise with better teammates his reputation would be completely different.

Agree 100%.

Same here. That said, I believe that Clutch has been out there doing some sort of media campaign trying to improve Zach's narative.

As they should be!

[WindyCityBorn]

Read on Twitter

Really good article. I agree with everything he said. I think it’s safe to say that word has circulated around Chicago sports media that Zach is very unlikely to be traded before the season starts.