Confirmed deal : Grade the Trade Lakers get desperate, make move for red-hot Bulls vet in mock deal

 

As the team wins more games and remains dangerously close to losing its first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (if it lands outside the top 10, it conveys to the San Antonio Spurs), the anxiety level to move those winning veterans is only increasing.

 

Ball and his $24.1 million expiring contract is likely the easiest for Chicago to move, although the 26-year-old has arguably been the Bulls’ most important player when he’s on the floor.

 

LaVine’s much larger salary, combined with his injury history and the restrictions placed on contending teams by the league’s new second apron, are making it nearly impossible for the organization to find a trade partner.

 

Vucevic lands somewhere in the middle.

The 34-year-old center has two years and $41 million left on his contract; not cheap, but not an exorbitant amount either. And considering he’s having a career year in terms of shooting efficiency and has become a sniper from three-point range, there will surely be appeal around the league from teams that could use a stretch big.

 

One of those franchises is consistently in the spotlight and has an aging superstar, two tell-tale signs of a team in “win now” mode. That team requires a player like Vucevic, and as Chicago is ready to shed salary and veterans, there’s a potential deal that makes sense for both sides.