Potential Zach Trade Partners? 24/25 Edition

[Muzbar]

So Bulls forum, how are we feeling about Zach's trade value either at the TDL or the off season? 2 future protected FRP's or 1 unprotected littery FRP this year?

Highly unlikely.

[ChiTownHero1992]

So Bulls forum, how are we feeling about Zach's trade value either at the TDL or the off season? 2 future protected FRP's or 1 unprotected littery FRP this year?

Highly unlikely.

I'm thinking a late 1st and expirings or multiple Ok players and multiple second rounders (ala Bradley Beal trade maybe a pick swap added for Zach). I don't think there is a chance in hell we get a lotto 1st or even multiple 1st rounders for him, he is what he is.

[sco]

So Bulls forum, how are we feeling about Zach's trade value either at the TDL or the off season? 2 future protected FRP's or 1 unprotected littery FRP this year?

Highly unlikely.

I'm thinking a late 1st and expirings or multiple Ok players and multiple second rounders (ala Bradley Beal trade maybe a pick swap added for Zach). I don't think there is a chance in hell we get a lotto 1st or even multiple 1st rounders for him, he is what he is.

I really want to sell high and think that will be at the deadline, BUT I think the size of his deal will ultimately cause his trade to be pushed to the offseason (which, because it's Zach, will be lower due to some injury or another).The related issue is that the teams who would likely have interest mostly lack assets/cap space (i.e. are in the 2nd apron) to make the deal work.

I think right now he's worth 2 lotto protected 1sts (or 1 lotto protected 1st and a starting-caliber young player) plus expirings.

[ScrantonBulls]

The Lakers seem like a possible fit. DLo, Hachimura and Vincent. That may be too many players to give up for the Lakers though. They don't have the best depth. Maybe you can get a 3rd team involved to solve that.

They gave all their firsts from 2026 to 2031 (minus the 2027, which they have if it lands 1-4). LeBron's career is winding down and he has big pull there. I'd be surprised if he didn't force the issue. I think they definitely try to make a splash while trading away some 1sts.

[ScrantonBulls]

Highly unlikely.

I'm thinking a late 1st and expirings or multiple Ok players and multiple second rounders (ala Bradley Beal trade maybe a pick swap added for Zach). I don't think there is a chance in hell we get a lotto 1st or even multiple 1st rounders for him, he is what he is.

I really want to sell high and think that will be at the deadline, BUT I think the size of his deal will ultimately cause his trade to be pushed to the offseason (which, because it's Zach, will be lower due to some injury or another).The related issue is that the teams who would likely have interest mostly lack assets/cap space (i.e. are in the 2nd apron) to make the deal work.

I think right now he's worth 2 lotto protected 1sts (or 1 lotto protected 1st and a starting-caliber young player) plus expirings.

Look what Mikal Bridges got. 4 unprotected 1sts, an unprotected swap in 2028 and the bucks 2025 1st. Absolutely wild trade return. Salaries obviously differ and Bridges is a better player, but I don't think he's vastly superior. If Zach keeps playing well, I think we'll get a surprisingly good trade package.

You aren't far off IMO. I think he may get an unprotected 1st and a protected 1st.

[sco]

I'm thinking a late 1st and expirings or multiple Ok players and multiple second rounders (ala Bradley Beal trade maybe a pick swap added for Zach). I don't think there is a chance in hell we get a lotto 1st or even multiple 1st rounders for him, he is what he is.

I really want to sell high and think that will be at the deadline, BUT I think the size of his deal will ultimately cause his trade to be pushed to the offseason (which, because it's Zach, will be lower due to some injury or another).The related issue is that the teams who would likely have interest mostly lack assets/cap space (i.e. are in the 2nd apron) to make the deal work.

I think right now he's worth 2 lotto protected 1sts (or 1 lotto protected 1st and a starting-caliber young player) plus expirings.

Look what Mikal Bridges got. 4 unprotected 1sts, an unprotected swap in 2028 and the bucks 2025 1st. Absolutely wild trade return. Salaries obviously differ and Bridges is a better player, but I don't think he's vastly superior. If Zach keeps playing well, I think we'll get a surprisingly good trade package.

You aren't far off IMO. I think he may get an unprotected 1st and a protected 1st.

I would be pleasantly surprised. And you're right, you just need a team who is "all in" on winning now.

[Chi town]

I will be surprised if Zach gets a 1st due to health.

Maybe a future non lottery first.

I do think there are up and coming teams we match up well with to get younger players with talent. Ala Dejounte for Dyson Daniels. Even the Giddey Caruso trade models what I think they can get.

[Chi town]

I really want to sell high and think that will be at the deadline, BUT I think the size of his deal will ultimately cause his trade to be pushed to the offseason (which, because it's Zach, will be lower due to some injury or another).The related issue is that the teams who would likely have interest mostly lack assets/cap space (i.e. are in the 2nd apron) to make the deal work.

I think right now he's worth 2 lotto protected 1sts (or 1 lotto protected 1st and a starting-caliber young player) plus expirings.

Look what Mikal Bridges got. 4 unprotected 1sts, an unprotected swap in 2028 and the bucks 2025 1st. Absolutely wild trade return. Salaries obviously differ and Bridges is a better player, but I don't think he's vastly superior. If Zach keeps playing well, I think we'll get a surprisingly good trade package.

You aren't far off IMO. I think he may get an unprotected 1st and a protected 1st.

I would be pleasantly surprised. And you're right, you just need a team who is "all in" on winning now.

BTW if Zach didn’t have health issue I’d take him over Bridges all day.

Health is what is holding back Zach’s value more than anything. Contract is 2nd.

[Muzbar]

This is my take on all 29 other teams as potential suitors for Zach LaVine:

Atlanta: The Hawks have multiple guards and Dyson Daniels seems to have taken a leap plus I'm not certain Zach is a good fit next to Trae. They do have a few contracts in Hunter, Capela etc that can match Zach salary however.

Boston: I don't see a fit whatsoever with Boston unless they think Jaylen Brown is a cheaper but lateral swap.

Brooklyn: The Nets seem to be on the rebuild/tanking path, so I don't see them as a potential partner. They do however have multiple contracts that can be used to match Zachs salary in Claxton, Bogdanovic, Simmons (yuck) and Schröder. Maybe as a third team.

Charlotte: The Hornets are good fit wise for Zach IMO and they do have some contracts in Miles Bridges  :nonono: , Josh Green and Grant Williams, but I'm not sure they'd trade Bridges plus one of those for Zach.

Cleveland: With Garland and Mitchell on board already I don't see a fit with the Cavs

Dallas: The Mavericks have contracts that could be used in a trade in PJ Washington, Maxi Kleber, Naji Marshall and potentially Klay Thompson. But seeing as they just acquired Klay, I don't think they'd let him go so quickly so Dallas isn't really a landing spot.

Denver: Denver is actually one of the places I could see LaVine landing but it would mean MJP returning to Chicago which I think they'd be unlikely to do and Denver hasn't really got any picks to include in any deals either.

Detroit: I think the LaVine to Detroit ship sailed last season. The Pistons are playing quite well this season and the only decent sized contracts they have to match Zachs salary are Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Isaiah Stewart, they also have multiple young pieces, but who knows.

Golden State: I think the Warriors dropped out of the Zach race the moment they waived CP3s unguaranteed contract. They'd have to include Wiggins in most scenarios as otherwise they'd have to include 4 or more contracts to reach his salary.

Houston: There isn't a fit on the Rockets, they have a younger version Zach in Jalen Green plus I think they have their eyes on a bigger prize.

Indiana: The Pacers have a bunch of guards and Benedict Mathurin has had an emergence of sorts this season. They also lack realistic contracts to match Zachs.

LAC: I'm not sure the Clippers are a good landing spot either, they have contracts to match in Norm Powell, PJ Tucker and Derrick Jones Jr., but Norm has been on a tear, he's the Clippers leading scorer and is paid half of what LaVine is and his contractvis shorter.

LAL: I think this is the most likely landing spot for Zach, the Lakers have the contracts in D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt (and Austin Reaves, but they're unlikely to trade him) and they'd definitely have a use for him.

Miami: The Heat already have a similar player on a cheaper contract in Tyler Herro, they don't really have a need for Zach despite contracts to match his deal in Herro, Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier.

Bucks The Bucks are very unlikely to trade for Zach, he'd be a bad fit next to Dame and doubtful they'd trade Dame for him they also can't aggregate salaries to acquire a single player.

Minnesota: The Wolves have Ant Edwards so I don't see a need for Zach back in Minnesota.

New Orleans: With CJ McCollum already on board there isn't much of a need for Zach on the Pelicans, I'd personally would mind a three way deal with Ingram coming to Chicago and Zach going to a third team.

New York: The Knicks have sufficient guards and don't really have need for Zach, plus they don't really have realistic contracts they could include in a deal.

Oklahoma City: The Thunder don't have the contracts (unless they include Hartenstein) nor are they a good fit with the abundance of guards including SGA.

Orlando: Orlando I think are a good fit but they signed KCP to play their 2 guard spot plus they just forked out a big contract to Suggs so they're unlikely to be a suitor.

Philadelphia: The Sixers would have to combine more than 4 contracts, they aren't a suitor.

Phoenix: The Suns already have an overpaid injury prone guard in Bradley Beal plus they also have Booker, they aren't an option.

Portland: The Blazers are another team with a glut of guards and no real need for LaVine.

Sacramento: The Kings now lack contracts in order to make a deal for Zach, especially after acquiring DeRozan.

San Antonio: The Spurs have a few contracts in Zach Collins, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell. They're unlikely to trade Vassell for Zach and they both play the same position.

Toronto: The Raptors are rebuilding and have a bunch of young guards, they aren't a good trade partner.

Utah: Another rebuilding team, The Jazz don't really have a need for Zach but they'd be interesting as a third team as they have a few contracts in John Collins and Jordan Clarkson to match his salary.

Washington: Once again, another rebuilding team. The Wizards aren't a good fit, they have Jordan Poole anyways.

The biggest issue amongst it all is matching Zachs salary whilst the other team doesn't lose too much depth or committing a lateral move.

My prediction is Zach will end up with the Lakers in some sort of 3 way deal.

[Donkedave]

This is my take on all 29 other teams as potential suitors for Zach LaVine:

Atlanta: The Hawks have multiple guards and Dyson Daniels seems to have taken a leap plus I'm not certain Zach is a good fit next to Trae. They do have a few contracts in Hunter, Capela etc that can match Zach salary however.

Boston: I don't see a fit whatsoever with Boston unless they think Jaylen Brown is a cheaper but lateral swap.

Brooklyn: The Nets seem to be on the rebuild/tanking path, so I don't see them as a potential partner. They do however have multiple contracts that can be used to match Zachs salary in Claxton, Bogdanovic, Simmons (yuck) and Schröder. Maybe as a third team.

Charlotte: The Hornets are good fit wise for Zach IMO and they do have some contracts in Miles Bridges  :nonono: , Josh Green and Grant Williams, but I'm not sure they'd trade Bridges plus one of those for Zach.

Cleveland: With Garland and Mitchell on board already I don't see a fit with the Cavs

Dallas: The Mavericks have contracts that could be used in a trade in PJ Washington, Maxi Kleber, Naji Marshall and potentially Klay Thompson. But seeing as they just acquired Klay, I don't think they'd let him go so quickly so Dallas isn't really a landing spot.

Denver: Denver is actually one of the places I could see LaVine landing but it would mean MJP returning to Chicago which I think they'd be unlikely to do and Denver hasn't really got any picks to include in any deals either.

Detroit: I think the LaVine to Detroit ship sailed last season. The Pistons are playing quite well this season and the only decent sized contracts they have to match Zachs salary are Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Isaiah Stewart, they also have multiple young pieces, but who knows.

Golden State: I think the Warriors dropped out of the Zach race the moment they waived CP3s unguaranteed contract. They'd have to include Wiggins in most scenarios as otherwise they'd have to include 4 or more contracts to reach his salary.

Houston: There isn't a fit on the Rockets, they have a younger version Zach in Jalen Green plus I think they have their eyes on a bigger prize.

Indiana: The Pacers have a bunch of guards and Benedict Mathurin has had an emergence of sorts this season. They also lack realistic contracts to match Zachs.

LAC: I'm not sure the Clippers are a good landing spot either, they have contracts to match in Norm Powell, PJ Tucker and Derrick Jones Jr., but Norm has been on a tear, he's the Clippers leading scorer and is paid half of what LaVine is and his contractvis shorter.

LAL: I think this is the most likely landing spot for Zach, the Lakers have the contracts in D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt (and Austin Reaves, but they're unlikely to trade him) and they'd definitely have a use for him.

Miami: The Heat already have a similar player on a cheaper contract in Tyler Herro, they don't really have a need for Zach despite contracts to match his deal in Herro, Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier.

Bucks The Bucks are very unlikely to trade for Zach, he'd be a bad fit next to Dame and doubtful they'd trade Dame for him they also can't aggregate salaries to acquire a single player.

Minnesota: The Wolves have Ant Edwards so I don't see a need for Zach back in Minnesota.

New Orleans: With CJ McCollum already on board there isn't much of a need for Zach on the Pelicans, I'd personally would mind a three way deal with Ingram coming to Chicago and Zach going to a third team.

New York: The Knicks have sufficient guards and don't really have need for Zach, plus they don't really have realistic contracts they could include in a deal.

Oklahoma City: The Thunder don't have the contracts (unless they include Hartenstein) nor are they a good fit with the abundance of guards including SGA.

Orlando: Orlando I think are a good fit but they signed KCP to play their 2 guard spot plus they just forked out a big contract to Suggs so they're unlikely to be a suitor.

Philadelphia: The Sixers would have to combine more than 4 contracts, they aren't a suitor.

Phoenix: The Suns already have an overpaid injury prone guard in Bradley Beal plus they also have Booker, they aren't an option.

Portland: The Blazers are another team with a glut of guards and no real need for LaVine.

Sacramento: The Kings now lack contracts in order to make a deal for Zach, especially after acquiring DeRozan.

San Antonio: The Spurs have a few contracts in Zach Collins, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell. They're unlikely to trade Vassell for Zach and they both play the same position.

Toronto: The Raptors are rebuilding and have a bunch of young guards, they aren't a good trade partner.

Utah: Another rebuilding team, The Jazz don't really have a need for Zach but they'd be interesting as a third team as they have a few contracts in John Collins and Jordan Clarkson to match his salary.

Washington: Once again, another rebuilding team. The Wizards aren't a good fit, they have Jordan Poole anyways.

The biggest issue amongst it all is matching Zachs salary whilst the other team doesn't lose too much depth or committing a lateral move.

My prediction is Zach will end up with the Lakers in some sort of 3 way deal.

Great write up mate! Now for a Vucevic one? lol

[Chi town]

With the emergence of Knecht I see no way Zach goes to the Lakers.

[ChettheJet]

Thorough that's for sure.

First I agree that a 3 or even 4 way trade is a good bet, I think it's too much to ask to find one team that wants Zach and has the right group to send to the Bulls. Help 2 or 3 other teams move their unwanted parts and see what happens.

I always look at what's hard to predict namely if there's a contender that has a rest of season injury to a top 2 scorer. Desperation is a great trade partner. All the rebuilding teams at whatever stage they're at don't seem like interested candidates.


The toughest team to read is PORT. They have two very different 14 deep lineups, veterans and kids. Grant is the only guy who plays more than 30 minutes a game, and due to the non lottery pick I look every now and then and their record is worse than the Bulls. I keep asking, when are they going to pick a lane, trade the veterans, play the kids and draft or move on from the kids and find out if those veterans can win. It's probably old school but I still like Ayton and newer school Avdia.

More old school is including UT in a deal and getting John Collins as a PF, see what team that wants Zach has something to send Ainge.

I never really considered DAL but that list of players they could send back gets my attention. I think PJ Washington and PWill on either side of Vuc or somebody else would be a good paring to me. I think Zach is the kind of flashy player Cuban likes to have.

Not a big fan of what the Lakers have had to offer, or are willing to offer, since the summer. Zach is the style of player they can accept find that 3rd or 4th team

[DuckIII]

Interesting new article from Ricky O’Donnell about how the Lakers’ free fall can only be cured through trades and the identifying Zach Lavine as the first and most obvious player to target.

They discuss other options, second on the list of likely partners being the Nets. Buts it’s a through discussion, not some superficial tweet dressed up as an article:

https://apple.news/Am2K4GFSTT1eMt-kzr1M6qA

[sco]

Interesting new article from Ricky O’Donnell about how the Lakers’ free fall can only be cured through trades and the identifying Zach Lavine as the first and most obvious player to target.

They discuss other options, second on the list of likely partners being the Nets. Buts it’s a through discussion, not some superficial tweet dressed up as an article:

https://apple.news/Am2K4GFSTT1eMt-kzr1M6qA

I think AK might like a deal that brought us back Reaves and Vandy.

[Chi town]

Interesting new article from Ricky O’Donnell about how the Lakers’ free fall can only be cured through trades and the identifying Zach Lavine as the first and most obvious player to target.

They discuss other options, second on the list of likely partners being the Nets. Buts it’s a through discussion, not some superficial tweet dressed up as an article:

https://apple.news/Am2K4GFSTT1eMt-kzr1M6qA

I’ve been waiting for this with Knecht coming back down to earth. The slide continues with reeves out.

I’m not trading Lavine unless we get Knecht or their 29’ 1st. Knecht won’t be a top 3 player IMO but he could be worth a 1st in this draft. Don’t think Knecht can play with Giddey either due to D.

[Hangtime84]

Zach is here for a while no team can really trade for him outside of Pelicans, Spurs or Hornets.

[Muzbar]

Zach is here for a while no team can really trade for him outside of Pelicans, Spurs or Hornets.

The Lakers can definitely trade for him, as can the Clippers.

If you're trading with the Pels you're either taking back Ingram or McCollum (they don't have other contracts that near his salary other than Zion.

The Spurs don't really have a spot for him with Castle, CP3, Vassell and others at their guard spots.

And the Hornets only realistically have 3 contracts in which to match his salary (Bridges, Green and Grant Williams).

LaVine to the Lakers is going to happen, IMO.

[Jcool0]

With the emergence of Knecht I see no way Zach goes to the Lakers.

Last 7 games: 10 ppg on 38% shooting and 30% from 3. Lakers are 2-5. What emergence?

[Chi town]

With the emergence of Knecht I see no way Zach goes to the Lakers.

Last 7 games: 10 ppg on 38% shooting and 30% from 3. Lakers are 2-5. What emergence?

Hahaha. Bro your recency bias gave me a good chuckle.

Show me a recent rookie that has done what Knecht has done already this year? That’s what GMs look at.

[Chi town]

Zach is here for a while no team can really trade for him outside of Pelicans, Spurs or Hornets.

The Lakers can definitely trade for him, as can the Clippers.

If you're trading with the Pels you're either taking back Ingram or McCollum (they don't have other contracts that near his salary other than Zion.

The Spurs don't really have a spot for him with Castle, CP3, Vassell and others at their guard spots.

And the Hornets only realistically have 3 contracts in which to match his salary (Bridges, Green and Grant Williams).

LaVine to the Lakers is going to happen, IMO.

Pistons were the team closest to trading for him before Zach elected for surgery and ended that chatter.

Don’t want to take on Stewart but maybe we could flip him. Pistons don’t have their 1st so it would have to be Ausar or Holland as the asset.