ESPN outlines ‘appealing’ LaVine trade package for Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
A Chicago Bulls star to the Warriors?
With the Feb. 6 trade deadline nearing, ESPN’s NBA insiders published a story on Wednesday about five mock trades that drastically would shift the league’s landscape heading into the second half of the season.
One trade proposal from ESPN’s Chris Herring involved Chicago’s Zach Lavine packing his bags for the Bay:
“Golden State Warriors get: guard Zach LaVine
Chicago Bulls get: forward Andrew Wiggins, guard Gary Payton II, center Kevon Looney, Golden State’s 2026 first-round pick”
LaVine is averaging 24.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists over 34 games for the 18-22 Bulls. He fits the Warriors mold, shooting career-bests from the field (51.7 percent) and on 3-point shots (45.0 percent) this season.
The 11-year NBA veteran can help alleviate the strain on Golden State superstar Steph Curry, who has to sustain his 22.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists nightly just to give his 19-20 Warriors a fighting chance. LaVine offers instant offense, which Golden State doesn’t have outside its future Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.
“LaVine has thrived when he has called his own number this season, shooting 49.5% and notching 116 points per 100 possessions on iso plays, which put him in the league’s 91st percentile,” Herring wrote. “That is music to any suitor’s ears, particularly a team such as Golden State that wants more reliable production beyond future Hall of Famer Stephen Curry.
“Perhaps most appealing for a club such as the Warriors, though, is the fact that LaVine has shown the ability to effectively play off the ball as an elite catch-and-shoot option and a cutter. Both traits are key to coach Steve Kerr’s offense.”
LaVine sharing backcourt duties with Curry might provide the juice the middling offense needs.
Wiggins, a role player averaging 16.5 points on 45.4 percent shooting with 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists, hasn’t moved the needle for Golden State since the franchise won the 2022 NBA Finals. And neither Payton nor Looney are producing like they did when the Warriors last were gold-blooded.
The Warriors can use another big-time star. According to Herring, though, Golden State’s hesitancy to trade key draft capital in a potential deal with Chicago could hinder the operation altogether.
“If there’s any hesitation here to make a deal, it’s probably rooted in two things: the Warriors — under .500 for the first time this season — being unsure of parting ways with an upcoming first-round pick, given they might need to reload with Curry at age 36,” Herring wrote. “Are they close enough to contending for such a deal to be worth it? And do they want to part with so much institutional knowledge? Wiggins, Payton and Looney were members of the 2022 championship team.”
Nevertheless, Golden State must make a move soon.
The trade deadline is just weeks away, and even if it wasn’t, the Warriors are realizing they aren’t good enough as currently constructed to win a ring during the 2024-25 NBA season.
Golden State should act quickly before another team rings Chicago’s phone or the Bulls’ unknown asking price steepens.
“For the Bulls, LaVine’s play could lead them to wonder if they can extract more than a single first-round pick — perhaps a second-round pick or two — in a deal,” Herring wrote. “Any additional assets would be incredibly useful for a rebuilding club that failed to land any picks after trading Alex Caruso and seeing DeMar DeRozan leave via free agency in the offseason.”
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