The Chicago Bulls have been one of the most disappointing teams of the 2023-24 NBA season through the first month. It started with a reported ‘Players Only’ meeting after the first game of the season, and continued through November, when they lost eight of nine games during a stretch at the end of the month. Chicago figures to be sellers as we head into December, as they have some big names and talented players that are still on the roster.
NBA: Bulls Should Be Sellers… Starting Now
Talking In-Season Tournament, the genius of the timing, the TV rights effect, (very) early trade deadline chatter, point differential predicament and more at @TheAthletic https://t.co/Hcgvjk7ORk
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) December 1, 2023
There have been rumors swirling around two primary players on the Bulls’ roster. DeMar DeRozen has garnered interest from more than a handful of teams around the league, and he will be one of the top available commodities in the NBA until he is no longer in Chicago. The loudest noise has been out of Los Angeles, as it is no secret that LeBron James and the Lakers would be interested in DeRozen’s services.
Another player who has a good chance of being dealt at some point is Zach LaVine. The 28-year-old guard has spent the last 6 seasons with the Bulls, and was named to two All-Star games while being one of the more consistent scorers in the NBA. But with Chicago floundering, LaVine reportedly prefers a trade, and has a preference on where he ends up.
LaVine Prefers Miami Or New York
The Chicago Bulls would want Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves in a potential deal for Zach LaVine, per @AmicoHoops pic.twitter.com/VcRegsuaV7
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 30, 2023
According to a report from Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Miami Heat and New York Knicks are known preferred destinations for LaVine. Both would make sense, and they are each middling in the Eastern Conference standings at the moment, and will be looking to add some firepower to potentially make a run this season. There haven’t been any concrete rumors about a potential trade package from either side, but things will become more clear as potential talks advance.
The Heat are likely hot on the pursuit, given their failure to bring in a star player in the off-season to pair with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. But who would they give up? Whether it was the truth or not is up for debate, but Miami assured guard Tyler Herro that he was not a part of any talks about bringing in Damian Lillard, though it is hard to imagine a package that the Heat could offer for LaVine that wouldn’t include Herro in some facet.
There is still plenty of time before any NBA trade deadlines, but the way things are going in Chicago, their stars may not make it to New Years before they find a new city and new home.
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