Zach LaVine Trade Rumors: Bulls Eye Bojan Bogdanović, 'Blue-Chip' Player from Pistons

The Chicago Bulls discussed a Zach LaVine trade with the Detroit Pistons, according to The Athletic's James L. Edwards III.

Edwards reported the Bulls were looking to acquire Bojan Bogdanović "and one of Detroit's blue-chippers," whom he outlined as Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren. But Detroit isn't looking to move any of the four promising stars.

It speaks to how far LaVine's market has fallen that the Pistons wouldn't give up any of those players for a two-time All-Star who's still in his 20s. But that's the reality the Bulls are facing.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst summed it up well during a Jan. 11 appearance on NBA Today when he said "if they could trade Zach LaVine in the next five minutes, they would trade him, and Zach would happily go to the airport."

Chicago's position has weakened even further since then after the 28-year-old picked up an ankle injury that sidelined him for the team's last two games.

To call LaVine a distressed asset would probably be an understatement because this season has presented the worst-case scenario in terms of building any sort of market.

The 6'5" guard's scoring (19.5 points) and shooting (45.2 percent overall and 34.9 percent on threes) are down from last year. He has missed 20 games, amplifying longstanding concerns about his durability. And the Bulls haven't suffered much without him in the lineup, also pointing to another question as to his ability to meaningfully help a team win.

Chicago is 11-9 in the games where LaVine was out and has a plus-0.8 net rating when he's not on the court compared to a minus-5.4 net rating when he plays, per NBA.com.

At some point, the Bulls may need to simply rip the bandage off.

Maybe LaVine's performance improves and he either becomes a key player for the team or at least stabilizes his trade value.

Chicago could just as easily find itself in the same bind the Atlanta Hawks did with John Collins. The veteran forward was a steady topic of rumors for years, with the Hawks holding out for the right offer. They finally shipped him out last summer in what was effectively a salary dump.

The longer the Bulls wait the more they could back themselves into a corner.