Zach LaVine Rumors: Bulls Eyeing 'Good Young Player,' Multiple 1sts, More in Trade

The Chicago Bulls are reportedly setting their sights high if they are going to trade Zach LaVine.

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago cited a source who said the Eastern Conference team "would be focused on getting a good young player, multiple first-round picks and salary filler if they decide to trade LaVine."

Another source suggested "one first-round pick and an established, high-end player might be sufficiently intriguing."

The Bulls are at a crossroads this offseason.

It wasn't long ago they looked like an Eastern Conference contender early in the 2021-22 season with LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vučević, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. However, they stumbled to the No. 6 seed after Ball suffered a knee injury and lost in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Ball didn't play a single game in 2022-23, and the Bulls were inconsistent at best until they were eliminated in the play-in tournament by the Miami Heat.

With questions about Ball's health and two straight failed playoff runs, it may be time to move on from this core ahead of Thursday's NBA draft.

Johnson explained the long-term future doesn't look great either, as the team has zero draft picks this year, still owes the San Antonio Spurs a first-round pick and would need to approach the luxury tax to use the full midlevel exception if it brings back Vučević, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu.

As difficult as it may be to trade LaVine at 28 years old and under contract through 2025-26 with a player option for 2026-27, he also figures to bring back the most in return if the Bulls did move one of their main pieces.

It isn't surprising, then, that the front office is asking for so much if it is looking to reset and accelerate a rebuild for a team that doesn't have many long-term assets.

While LaVine doesn't have a track record of consistent playoff success, he is a two-time All-Star who can shoot from the outside (38.4 percent from deep for his career), attack the basket off the bounce and take over as a scorer in crunch time.

There are plenty of contenders that would be much better on offense with him on the wing, and Chicago may be hoping that one of them is willing to give up significant assets in pursuit of a championship.