After a hot start to the season, the Warriors have started to cool off. The team was winning based on its great depth, but the shortage of top-end talent has become more of a glaring weakness lately.
Golden State is being aggressive in trying to fix that problem, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“Sources said the Warriors are looking to add a star player — a playmaker, scorer — alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green,” Charania wrote on Monday.
Aside from Jimmy Butler, who could be a potential trade target, there aren’t a ton of other readily available players who fit that criteria. Brandon Ingram is another option, although his ball-dominant style and reticence to shoot volume 3s present issues.
The best choice, particularly given the Warriors’ current resources, is Zach LaVine. The Bulls have been trying to trade him for over a year. He’s been one of the better offensive players in the league, answering questions about his recovery from an off-year and knee issues. He’s averaging 22.1 points per game on an extremely efficient 50.6 percent shooting from the field and 43.2 percent from deep.
Despite those numbers, the market for LaVine is currently dead, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“He’s having an excellent year. We know that he’s been on the trade block for a year now, at least. Yet I hear nothing about LaVine on the trade market, and I don’t think it’s because the Bulls aren’t interested in trading him,” Windhorst said on a recent episode of The Hoop Collective.
LaVine’s $43 million contract this season may scare away teams, but it also means the Warriors could make a huge move without giving too much up. Here’s what that price tag would be.
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Zach LaVine trade to Warriors
The trade
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Warriors receive:
- Zach LaVine
- Jevon Carter
- Torrey Craig
- Julian Phillips
Bulls receive:
- Andrew Wiggins
- De’Anthony Melton
- Gary Payton II
- Jonathan Kuminga
- 2026 2nd round pick (via ATL)
- 2028 2nd round pick (via ATL)
Why the Warriors do it
LaVine certainly isn’t a perfect player. He can have lapses as a help defender, and his crunch-time decision-making has been an issue.
When LaVine had a better No. 1 option ahead of him in DeMar DeRozan, the latter was much less of a problem. The same would hold true with Curry. LaVine’s defensive warts could also be covered up by playing with Green. Every mistake now is exacerbated by Chicago’s complete lack of rim protection. Those would be less damaging on a team with good infrastructure like the No. 4-ranked Warriors.
MORE: Why Zach LaVine is a better trade candidate than portrayed
What the focus on LaVine’s flaws misses is how great he is at scoring. The two-time dunk champion still has elite athleticism and can get to the rim at will, and he’s one of the best shooters in the league, capable of coming off the movement sets Steve Kerr likes to run.
LaVine’s contract is an overpay, but it won’t be as bad in coming years as the cap continues to rise. And it will be off the books at the same time as Curry’s, giving the Warriors a chance to maximize their future Hall-of-Famer’s last three playoff runs and end his career on a high note.
Jevon Carter, Torrey Craig and Julian Phillips would be in this deal for salary-matching purposes. Carter and Craig are reliable two-way veterans who can bolster the back of Golden State’s rotation.
Phillips is one of the more promising Bulls prospects. He’s an ultra-athletic big wing who can guard and has shown some 3-point promise. The Bulls traded two second-rounders to draft him last summer. That’s mostly why the Warriors would have to ship those back in this trade.
Losing Andrew Wiggins would be a tough pill to swallow, but if the Warriors want to get a player who makes significant salary, he has to be included in any trade.
Fans probably don’t care about this aspect, but this trade would save Warriors ownership several million dollars in tax payments as well.
MORE: Why LeBron James continues to be linked to Warriors in trade rumors
Why the Bulls do it
For the Bulls, this trade would be addition by subtraction. They’ve been awesome in games LaVine has played in and winless in their three games without him.
The Bulls need to win fewer games, and soon. They don’t have anyone on their roster that has any potential to develop into a top 10 player in the league, and their best path to getting one is in a loaded 2025 NBA Draft. The problem? They owe their pick to the Spurs if it falls outside of the top 10. As of Dec. 11, they are in a three-way tie for the eighth-worst lottery odds.
MORE: How Zach LaVine’s resurgence impacts Chicago’s Cooper Flagg odds, trade rumors
Wiggins’ deal looked toxic a year ago. He’s played better and, at age 29, the Bulls could theoretically flip him for more assets down the line. Payton and Melton are both expiring contracts who would serve as salary filler to make this deal legal.
The real prize for Chicago is Kuminga. He hasn’t fit perfectly in Golden State, and a change of scenery could unlock him. He’s one of the more dominant downhill drivers in the league, and the Bulls’ newfound focus on 3-point attempts could really open up the floor for him. He would instantly become the team’s best or second-best prospect, depending on one’s opinion of Matas Buzelis.
This is a good trade for both sides. The Warriors wouldn’t need to sacrifice any of their three first-round picks and would get a two-time All-Star playing near his prime again. The Bulls would get a much better chance to land Cooper Flagg while bringing in a blue-chip prospect.
After Dec. 15 rolls around and players like Melton become trade-eligible, this is a deal that could happen.
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