The Chicago Bulls reportedly are open to reshaping their roster to make Zach LaVine the clear No. 1 option going forward.
Right now, the Bulls have a one-two punch of LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, but DeRozan is heading into the final season of his contract in the 2023-24 campaign.
The Bulls reportedly could be a potential landing spot for Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, who is rumored to be on the trade block ahead of this coming offseason.
“A more likely swap for the Suns and Bulls would center on sending out Ayton for DeMar DeRozan,” Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney wrote. “The Bulls have not shopped their star wing but that could be coming, considering he is 33 and heading into the final year of his contract. Chicago, according to league sources, is open to reshaping its roster with guard Zach LaVine as the clear No. 1 go-to option.”
The Bulls failed to make the playoffs in the 2022-23 season, falling to the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament after beating the Toronto Raptors in the No. 9 versus No. 10 game.
It’s possible that the team tries to reshape the roster with LaVine in mind, especially since he signed a major extension prior to the 2022-23 regular season.
In the 2022-23 season, LaVine appeared in 77 of Chicago’s 82 regular season games. He averaged 24.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.
A two-time All-Star with Chicago, LaVine is one of the more gifted wing scorers in the NBA. He’s averaged at least 23.7 points per game in each of the last five seasons for Chicago.
If the Bulls feel that they can’t contend with DeRozan as the other primary option on offense, it could make sense to build entirely around LaVine to hopefully set the team up for long-term success.
Adding Ayton would be an interesting move. It could help the team replace Nikola Vucevic, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
For his career, Ayton averages 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while shooting 59.7 percent from the field. The former No. 1 overall pick is a younger player that would fit better with LaVine’s career timeline.
The Bulls will have a lot of decisions to make this coming offseason, but it seems like LaVine is in the franchise’s future plans.
