The Chicago are hit with a surprising, yet completely logical realization that will ultimately prevent them from a complete rebuild.
With the way the Chicago Bulls have operated thus far in the offseason, it's pretty clear that they'd prefer a complete rebuilding of their roster. Part of fully embracing that roster reconstruction will have to consist of trading Zach LaVine and/or Nikola Vucevic. There's just one growing problem with that - it appears that there's still no real trade market for either player.
According to a recent report, the Bulls continue to have no luck in finding a trade market for both LaVine and Vucevic, two players they would like to trade before the start of the 2024-25 NBA season in order to kick-start a rebuild. It's looking more and more like trading one of both of those players could be unlikely. The question is, would it be that big of a problem if Chicago wasn't able to trade them before the start of the season?
What if the Chicago Bulls are stuck with Zach LaVine?
On the one hand, it would be pretty discouraging if the Bulls aren't able to fully embrace a rebuild, assuming that's something they want to do as a franchise. However, on the other hand, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if the Bulls were "stuck" with LaVine. If LaVine and head coach Billy Donovan can work things out, which there's no guarantee could happen, Chicago could benefit from having a player as talented as LaVine still on the roster.
With the way the narrative has tanked over the last few months, there's a case to be made that, salary aside, LaVine is now one of the most underrated players in the league. For being such a "bad" player, LaVine still has to be considered one of the most productive two-way players in the Eastern Conference.
Adding Josh Giddey earlier in the offseason could add a new - and fresh - layer to the Bulls this upcoming season. I'm not saying that the addition of Giddey will solve everything for the Bulls, but Chicago has shaken up the roster enough that it could change some things.
In a perfect world, the Bulls would probably rather trade both Vucevic and LaVine before the start of the season. However, it could also end up being a blessing in disguise if everything stacks up perfectly for the Bulls to start the season with LaVine.