The massive hurdle for the Bulls to any LaVine trade that no one is talking about
Bet you didn’t know this one.
By
Andrew Hanlon
|
3 hours ago
Dec 19, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) reacts after his three point basket against the Boston Celtics in the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Dec 19, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) reacts after his three point basket against the Boston Celtics in the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
The Denver Nuggets’ reported interest in trading for Bulls guard Zach LaVine induced a mixture of relative shock around the NBA and pleasant surprise among Chicago fans.
The organization has been searching for a LaVine taker for over a year but has consistently come up empty. Hope had dwindled to just about zero. With the 29-year-old’s albatross contract, history of knee injuries and the restrictions placed on teams by the league’s new salary cap and second apron, a LaVine trade seemed impossible.
Then news broke of the Nuggets’ desperation to get help for three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who’s in the midst of a career year (which is saying something), and that Denver’s focus on LaVine was “significant.”
After his 36-point outburst in an upset win over the Boston Celtics on Dec. 19, the two-time All-Star is averaging 22.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and a career-high 43.5 percent from three on nearly eight attempts per game.
He’s also been healthy. It’s easy to see why the Nuggets are kicking the tires, even with that hefty salary.
But a trade may not be as straight forward as it seems.
Any Zach LaVine trade carries an overlooked complication
A simple swap of Michael Porter Jr. and Zeke Nnaji for LaVine makes sense salary-wise. Denver may have to include a pick swap as a sweetener, but the basic framework is simple enough.
However, there’s a nuance to any deal that’s easy to overlook.
According to ESPN salary cap expert Bobby Marks, the Bulls would owe LaVine 15 percent of his remaining salary as a trade bonus if he’s dealt. That bonus, which equates to $9.4 million, would be spread over the next two seasons if LaVine doesn’t waive it.
His cap hit for 2025-26, then, would be $51 million. It would also mean Denver would have to include extra salary in a trade to avoid crossing the second-apron threshold.
Adding Dario Saric into the deal makes the money work, but Saric has barely seen the floor for the Nuggets and is owed an additional $5 million next year as part of the two-year, $10.6 million contract he signed with Denver last summer.
That may give Chicago, which would be giving up the best player in the trade, some additional hesitation. Would it be enough to call the move off completely? Maybe, maybe not.
Perhaps the Bulls would ask for an additional first-round pick swap, but considering Chicago’s desire to tank and Denver’s desire to win, any swaps may not come to fruition anyway.
Maybe the deal of LaVine for Porter Jr., Nnaji and Saric gets over the line. Maybe the Bulls ask for one of Denver’s young prospects instead of Saric.
Regardless, LaVine’s trade bonus puts a wrench into a deal that both teams should want done.
Regardless, LaVine’s trade bonus puts a wrench into a deal that both teams should want done.
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