The NBA’s trade market can be unforgiving. A player’s perceived value can sink at the drop of a dime. In 2023-24, some teams are learning that the hard way.
Take the Chicago Bulls. If this team had traded Zach LaVine a couple of years ago, they could have gotten a haul for him. Now, reports are suggesting that LaVine has minimal trade value around the league. Meanwhile, it’s a buyer’s market -and the Bulls should be looking to sell.
Could a surprise buyer emerge? Even the worst teams in the NBA could talk themselves into acquiring LaVine at a discount. Could the Detroit Pistons be that team?
The Trade Proposal
Chicago Bulls receive: G/F Joe Harris, C James Wiseman, G Killian Hayes, 2026 First-Round Pick (DET)
Detroit Pistons receive: G/F Zach LaVine
No single factor explains LaVine’s slide in value. Several factors do. As with most things in life, this gets a little bit complicated.
For starters, the market shifted. This is a buyer’s market because most of the league’s competitive teams have spent their assets. Teams were looking to make big improvements last summer, and by now, those improvements have been made.
Yet, part of the blame falls on LaVine as well. He hasn’t proven himself to be much more than a scorer, and his efficiency wanes. If he’d added more layers to his game, he’d have a more robust market. Should the Pistons even pay this price for him?
Why The Detroit Pistons Do The Deal
We write some pieces because we have an idea. We write others because we hear a rumor. This piece falls into the latter category. The Pistons have been regularly linked to LaVine.
Frankly, trading for him could be a mistake. The Pistons are the worst team in the NBA. It’s easy to make the case that they shouldn’t be moving young players and draft capital. Shouldn’t the Pistons be sellers?
Perhaps. At the same time, this front office has been patient for a while. It hasn’t yielded results. The Pistons may be getting desperate. For what it’s worth, pairing a pure scorer like LaVine with a playmaker like Cade Cunningham could pay dividends down the line. Should the Bulls help the Pistons assemble that backcourt?
Why The Chicago Bulls Do The Deal
According to those same rumors, the Bulls want one of Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson or Jalen Duren in exchange for LaVine. That’s not likely to happen. LaVine’s market is dead. Even if Detroit wanted to move one of those young players, they’d acquire a more desirable player.
So, we’ve got the Bulls settling on Wiseman and Hayes. It isn’t so bad. They’re both young players, and they’ve both flashed potential at times in their NBA careers.
Meanwhile, Chicago should be thrilled to land an unprotected first for LaVine in this economy. The Pistons will work hard to ensure this pick is outside of the lottery, but their margin for error will be slim. They’ll need LaVine to raise his value for that to happen.
