This Heat-Bulls Trade features Zach LaVine

An NBA writer proposes that the Chicago Bulls trade star Zach LaVine to the Miami Heat for shooting guard Tyler Herro.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report suggested that the Bulls send LaVine to the Heat for Herro, forward Nikola Jović, marksman Duncan Robinson, and two first-round picks. The goal would be for Miami to add a win-now talent while Chicago could get a rebuild return.

“If the Bulls pull off pieces this summer, they could selectively let a few Vets go and still hope to remain competitive. But what would that actually mean? Maybe they can scrap for a back-end playoff ticket, but that teeters too close to getting stuck in the dreaded middle,” Buckley wrote. “If Chicago changes course, it should lean entirely on rebuilding. The Bulls need top shelf assets, and a LaVine trade is their best shot at finding them.

The rationale is that the Bulls are unlikely to find a greater trading return for LaVine than one with Herro, along with exchange capital. Robinson’s contract is now more marketable after this year’s playoffs, and Jović should prove interesting as a young prospect.

“This is pretty much any package Chicago could hope to land. Tyler Herro has serious center stage potential,” Buckley wrote. “He has averaged at least 20 points, five rebounds and four assists in each of the past two seasons, and he just turned 23 in January. Grab Nikola Jović (last summer’s No. 27) and two first-round picks (one this summer, one in 2027 or beyond), and that’s a big enough return to warrant taking over the rest of Duncan Robinson’s deal.

NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls & Miami Heat Updates

It is crucial for the Heat to make the most of Jimmy Butler’s remaining stint as a top talent in the NBA. Making an upgrade from Herro to LaVine could go a long way toward maximizing it.

“This is enough for the Heat to say goodbye to, but it could make sense to pay a huge price given this club’s offensive problems (the ones that existed before the playoff tips) and the ticking clock of Jimmy Butler,” wrote Buckley. “Zach LaVine could step in and serve as the go-to scoring option this team needs to carry the load until it’s time for Playoff Jimmy to take over.”

LaVine is one of the top scorers in the NBA. The two-time All-Star averaged 24.8 points in 2022-23 for the Bulls while shooting 48.5% from the field, 37.5% from outside the arc and 84.8% from the free throw line. LaVine signed a five-year, $215.2 million deal with Chicago in July 2022. Next season he will earn $40.1 million.

NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls & Miami Heat Updates

The Bulls missed the playoffs this season, so they could try to break up their Big 3 of LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vuecevic.

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