The Zach LaVine era has officially ended in Chicago.
The Chicago Bulls are sending the two-time All-Star to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team trade also headlined by De’Aaron Fox, a source confirmed to the Tribune. ESPN was the first to report the news.
The Bulls will receive Tre Jones and Zach Collins from the San Antonio Spurs and Kevin Huerter from the Sacramento Kings in the trade in addition to their own 2025 draft pick from the Spurs, per a report from ESPN.
LaVine’s tenure with the Bulls has been beleaguered by trade chatter, which only intensified last season after the guard requested the front office begin to explore options to move on from Chicago. That effort did not result in a trade as LaVine struggled to play through a foot injury that ultimately cut his 2023-24 season short ahead of the trade deadline.
But LaVine vindicated himself this year — and rebuilt his trade value in the process — with one of the most efficient seasons of his career, averaging 24 points while shooting 51.1% from the floor and 44.6% from 3-point range. His composure off the court as a locker room leader drew open praise from coaches, teammates and executives around the Bulls, who saw LaVine approaching the game with a renewed focus and responsibility.
In the seven years since he was traded to Chicago from the Minnesota Timberwolves, LaVine weathered two coaching changes and six losing seasons with the Bulls. The team made the playoffs just once at the conclusion of the only winning season of LaVine’s time with the Bulls, which resulted in a 4-1 first-round exit at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks.
There was a time when LaVine and the Bulls appeared to be headed in the right direction. The Bulls brought in Nikola Vučević, Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan to craft an offensive vision centered around LaVine, who earned back-to-back All-Star designations. And it worked, ever so briefly, as the Bulls climbed to the top of the league standings before crashing back down and out of the playoffs in 2022.
That project finally ended last summer, when DeMar DeRozan departed in free agency and the Bulls began the process of reshaping the roster by trading Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. LaVine and DeRozan will now reunite in Sacramento, where the Kings are attempting to stay afloat in a competitive Western Conference.
After three years of standing pat at the trade deadline, this move marks a major victory for executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas, allowing the Bulls to finally begin a rebuilding process that is years overdue. The trade immediately removes the largest roadblock for the Bulls in their attempt to restructure the roster — LaVine’s supermax contract, a five-year, $250 million deal with a player option extending into the 2026-27 season.
Karnišovas aims to complete more moves ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. The Bulls are still interested in moving several pieces, including center Nikola Vučević. By the end of this week, the Bulls roster will likely undergo significant change — paving the way for Karnišovas’ second attempt at building a contender in Chicago.
