The Chicago Bulls are one of those NBA franchises that needs a complete start-from-zero reboot. As constructed, they’re going nowhere fast. With over 90% of the league eligible to be traded and traded for, the Bulls must be sellers and look to next year’s draft. While Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević are the two headline-driven trade assets the Bulls have auditioned of late, Lonzo Ball is also likely to move on. Chicago is aggressively trying to find a path for all three.
Bulls Aggressively Trade Shopping Hoping to Up Odds in ’25 Draft
Chicago Bulls Likely Intend to Trade Lonzo Ball This Season
According to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley, Ball, LaVine, and Vučević are up for the taking. LaVine’s loaded contract has proved extremely difficult to move in the past, and that problem lingers. LaVine, undoubtedly the biggest star, might end up being the one who isn’t moved by the trade deadline. As for Vučević, his time appears to be up in Chicago. However, he has much to offer other teams and would be a respectable return in a trade, given his position at center and ability to shoot threes at a high percentage (47.4% on the season).
This brings us to Ball, who recently returned from injury just a few weeks ago. The Ball experiment has not panned out the way the Bulls perceived it would when they traded for him in August of 2021. And as with Vučević, Ball’s time in Chicago also appears to be running out.
A Risky Trade at Best for Most Teams
If there is anything that would scare any NBA team from trading for Lonzo, it’s his stacked-up injury history. He played in just 35 games in his first year with the Bulls. He followed that up by missing the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons due to significant injuries requiring three knee surgeries. Returning this season, he’s only laced up for nine out of 26 games thus far. That said, he has played in six of Chicago’s last seven games, with his only absence being part of a back-to-back.
Ball offers quality point guard play due to his skills as a passer and ball handler. Yet, just a glimpse at his recent injury struggles makes you wince. That is where the risk lies. Despite his return and relative health at the present, there’s absolutely no guarantee he will be able to sustain it. Whichever GM decides that the risk is at least equal to the reward will likely enter a trade process walking on pins and needles.
Their Future Depends on It
From the Bulls’ standpoint, moving on from Ball is crucial to their future. Remaining tied to him will only slow them down. Chicago clearly has its sights set on what is shaping up to be a talented and promising draft class next summer. The Bulls have been mediocre at best for years, and it’s time for them to change the blueprint. Moving on from their veterans has to be in the plans—Ball and Vučević now, and as for LaVine, next summer at the latest.
