The 2022 NBA Playoffs have been a wild ride, with neither number one seed making it to the Finals. Although the Chicago Bulls missed out on a deep postseason run, their season can be considered a success based on where they ended a year ago.
In order to become a Finals team in the near future, the Bulls will have to gel more as a group. In addition, they will have to figure out how to add more talent around their current core.
Adding talent to this core, though, may be tricky. The offseason outlook is a bit murky right now, with both Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball having uncertain futures; each for a different reason.
While Ball’s is health-related, LaVine’s future depends solely on his decision in free agency. Should he choose to stay, the Bulls could run it back and look to make it even further. But, if LaVine chooses to leave, things become clouded.
The Dallas Mavericks have been rumored as one of the top landing spots for Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine in free agency.
Recently, NBA insider Marc Stein wrote that he believes the Dallas Mavericks are one of the most likely landing spots for LaVine. However, it would come via sign-and-trade, which is a method we saw teams take advantage of a year ago.
LaVine leaving the Bulls would not be an ideal scenario for Chicago who, again, need another offseason to come together as a team that added many new pieces a year ago.
But, it’s a reality the Bulls could be forced to live with, and the Mavericks are a team that make a lot of sense. LaVine playing next to Luka Doncic could be exactly what Dallas needed in order to get past a team like the Warriors.
If LaVine does end up in Dallas, one of these three sign-and-trade packages could end up coming back to Chicago.
