1 Wild Zach LaVine NBA Trade Idea That Actually Works
The time for the Chicago Bulls to trade Zach LaVine is now, as the 29-year-old two-time All-Star is playing arguably the best basketball of his career.
The remaining two years and $95 million on his contract after this season won't be easy to swallow for most teams, however, and only a few franchises possess clean enough future cap sheets and a need for LaVine's skill set.
This could take multiple teams to get a deal done, squads that are desperate to make a move and give themselves a real chance to make the 2025 playoffs.
The following four-team trade idea would finally move LaVine out of Chicago and find a new home for another big name on the market as well.
Full Trade Scenario
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San Antonio Spurs Receive:
- G/F Zach LaVine (from Bulls)
Golden State Warriors Receive:
- SF Brandon Ingram (from Pelicans)
New Orleans Pelicans Receive:
- F Keldon Johnson (from Spurs)
- F/C Zach Collins (from Spurs)
Chicago Bulls Receive:
- PG Dennis Schröder (from Warriors)
- F Kyle Anderson (from Warriors)
- C Kevon Looney (from Warriors)
- G Gary Payton II (from Warriors)
- 2025 second-round pick (from Spurs)
- 2025 second-round pick (Chicago Bulls via Spurs)
Note: Trade rules state that a player like Schröder, who was already moved this season, typically has to wait 60 days to be aggregated in another trade. However, players who are traded on or before Dec. 16 can still be combined in a trade before the Feb. 6 deadline (h/t Bryan Toporek of Forbes Sports), making him eligible to be included here.
Why the San Antonio Spurs Do It
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An 18-16 start to the season had the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference play-in tournament, although a 1-4 slide over their past five games now has Victor Wembanyama and company all the way down to 12th in the ultra-competitive West.
San Antonio's offense ranks just 19th overall this season (111.7 rating), with three-point shooting (34.3 percent, 23rd overall) serving as a major Achilles' heel.
LaVine is having a monster season for Chicago, putting up 23.8 points on crazy-good efficiency (51.6/45.5/80.7 slash line). He's one of just three players in the NBA season shooting at least 50/45/80 this season along with Nikola Jokić and Norman Powell.
LaVine would help Victor Wembanyama shoulder the scoring load and should have plenty of offensive space sharing the floor with the all-world center and a future Hall of Fame point guard in Chris Paul.
His contract shouldn't be an issue for the Spurs, either, as LaVine's $49 million player option (assuming he picks it up) will expire in the summer of 2027, the same time a max rookie extension for Wembanyama will kick in.
A starting five of Paul, LaVine, Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Wembanyama with Harrison Barnes, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, Tre Jones and others off the bench would be enough to move San Antonio up the West standings.
Why the Golden State Warriors Do It
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At 20-20 overall and sitting outside the play-in, the Golden State Warriors have a real chance to miss the playoffs this season unless they do something at the trade deadline.
Stephen Curry has stated that he doesn't want to see the Warriors make any desperate trades that would deplete the future, but what if a 27-year-old, former All-Star forward who's averaging over 22 points per game this season could be had at a reasonable price?
Ingram is putting up 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and shooting 37.4 percent from three this season for the New Orleans Pelicans, who should be motivated to move the 6'8" forward before he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.
This is a chance for the Warriors to nab a potential star without having to give up Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski or any other prospect or draft pick, as they'd only be sending out Kyle Anderson and the expiring contracts of Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II and Dennis Schröder instead.
The trade for Schröder hasn't worked out for the Warriors, who are 12.1 points per 100 possessions worse when the veteran point guard is on the floor (7th percentile via Cleaning the Glass).
A core of Curry, Ingram, Draymond Green, Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins, Podziemski, Buddy Hield and others would be far better than the current roster and give the Warriors a greater chance to reach the West playoffs.
Why the New Orleans Pelicans Do It
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It's been a nightmare of a season for the 10-32 New Orleans Pelicans, a team that should be shopping veterans like Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum while prioritizing a top pick in the 2025 draft.
Finding a trade for Ingram takes first priority, as the 27-year-old can leave as an unrestricted free agent this summer. Getting nothing for the player who was the main return in the Anthony Davis trade would be devastating for the franchise.
New Orleans shouldn't be interested in re-signing Ingram if he still wants $50 million per season on a new contract, either.
Just months away from free agency, the Pels aren't going to get a lot in return for Ingram or a trade would have been made already.
Instead, turning Ingram into two rotation players in Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins may be the best that New Orleans can get.
Johnson, 25, has averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the Spurs the past three seasons and has a contract that drops from $19 million this year to just $17.5 million in each of the next two seasons. That's 10 to 11 percent of the projected salary cap.
Collins, 27, gives New Orleans some more size to help counter future games missed by Zion Williamson and has floor-spacing ability at 6'11".
Why the Chicago Bulls Do It
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The Chicago Bulls finally have a chance to get Zach LaVine's contract off the books and potentially pick up some draft picks in the process.
This would be a financially-motivated move for Chicago, as three of the four contracts they take back will expire this summer. Kyle Anderson is owed $9.2 million in 2025-26, but has a non-guaranteed $9.7 million salary in 2026-27.
This trade would open up $36.8 million in cap space for the Bulls this summer, pushing them to a projected $55.3 million before factoring in a new deal for Josh Giddey.
That's some serious cap relief, especially with Nikola Vučević's $21.5 million salary expiring in 2026.
The Bulls also collect two picks in the 2025 draft, getting their own second-round selection back from the San Antonio Spurs (currently projected at No. 40 overall) and the Spurs' second-rounder as well (No. 43 overall).
Chicago fans shouldn't expect a major return for LaVine given his contract and injury history. They should be thrilled at the financial relief and ability to add some more young talent this summer.
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