NBA Rumors: Bulls Open to Trading Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, 'Majority' of Roster

The Chicago Bulls may be preparing for a fire sale.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on The Stein Line that the Bulls executives have been in touch with other team's about potential moves ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline and are open to moving the majority of their roster, including Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball and Nikola Vučević.

"No surprise, then, that Bulls executives, according to league sources, have been messaging to rival front offices that they are willing to discuss the majority of their roster in trade talks leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline," Fischer wrote. "Most notably, sources say, Chicago has expressed a desire to move LaVine, Vučević and Ball — who collectively command nearly $85 million in salary this season."Arturas is trying to drive up attention for all of his guys — he's smart," said one league figure with knowledge of the Bulls' thinking. "The fact they were willing to move DeMar and [Alex] Caruso [this past offseason], they're willing to move anybody [now]."

Chicago is currently 8-12 and sits in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls have missed the postseason in the last two seasons and have been out of the playoffs six times in the last seven years.

While this year's team could turn around the season, the talent disparity between them and the top team's in the conference could make a fire sale more attractive. The Bulls do have some interesting pieces, so recouping as much value as possible could be a good strategy.

LaVine is averaging 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 17 games thus far in 2024-25. He is under contract through 2025-26 with a player option for 2026-27, and a team closer to contention may view him as a solid addition to add to the core.

Vučević is averaging 20.4 points with 9.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 20 games thus far in 2-2024-25. The 33-year-old is under contract through 2025-26 and will not likely line up with any Bulls success, so trading him when his value may be the way to go.

Ball has had his career derailed by injuries and has only appeared in four games in 2024-25. He is set to hit free agency next season and while his value may not be as high as it was, Chicago could salvage something from him and allow him to revitalize his career elsewhere.

With core pieces like Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, Coby White and Patrick Williams in the earlier stages of their career, Chicago could be best suited moving off of the older core and embracing the youth.