New York Knicks: Trades that could land Zach LaVine

Second trade scenario

In this scenario, the New York Knicks would trade Kevin Knox, Reggie Bullock, Dennis Smith Jr., one or two draft picks, and around $3 million in cash considerations. In return, the Knicks would only receive Zach LaVine.

Bulls acquisition

As mentioned before, the Bulls would take on Knox because he is young and presents some upside.

As for the draft picks, the same logic applies to this scenario as well. It would be unreasonable to expect to get three first-round picks for LaVine. For example, the Milwaukee Bucks traded Malcolm Brogdon—arguably more valuable than Zach LaVine—to the Indiana Pacers for one first-round and two second-round picks. This indicates that one or two first-rounders with all these players is more than acceptable.

Reggie Bullock is added to the deal to add 3-and-D depth to the Bulls. He is also on a reasonable contract for one more year, so it’s a low-risk investment for Chicago. Also, even though Bullock had a down year, there is optimism that he will bounce back next season.

This past season, Bullock was recovering from a neck injury, which prevented him from being available at the beginning of the season. According to Basketball-Reference, before Bullock joined the Knicks, he was averaging 11.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2 assists, 41.2 field goal percentage, and 38.8 three-point percentage during 29.8 minutes per game. So, we might assume that after a full year of recovering, Bullock will be able to play to his usual standard.

Smith is added to the deal so that the Bulls can add depth at the point guard rotation. Yes, it’s questionable whether the Bulls would even want Smith after an extremely down year that was riddled with injury, heartbreak, and a backlog at point guard, as well as the loss of a coach who had faith in him. A full offseason recovering from his injuries should be enough time to get him back on track.

For the Bulls, it may be beneficial to give Smith a shot because he has demonstrated that he can produce on the court. Also, we should remember that before Smith’s last injury (before the season’s halt), it looked like the former ninth overall pick from the 2017 NBA draft was starting to play well. The numbers weren’t always there, but his confidence was becoming present, and he had a few solid outings where he would score double-digit points.

The Bulls are strapped on cash, so what would be more enticing than getting players and picks to help rebuild the team? More money to spend! To make this trade whole, the Knicks would also have to give around $3 million in cash considerations to just match LaVine’s salary.

New York Knicks acquisition

Obviously, the Bulls would trade LaVine. LaVine would be the only asset in this scenario because the players that the Knicks would almost match the salary of LaVine (especially with cash consideration).