Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sends Zach LaVine To Nuggets, Michael Porter Jr. To Bulls

One NBA analyst proposed that the Denver Nuggets trade Michael Porter Jr. to the Chicago Bulls for Zach LaVine. 

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the following mock trade between the Nuggets and Bulls:

Denver Nuggets receive: Zach LaVine and a 2029 first-round pick swap (top-three protected)

Chicago Bulls receive: Michael Porter Jr. and Zeke Nnaji

LaVine played in just 25 games in 2023-24. He underwent season-ending right foot surgery in February.

A two-time All-Star and a two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion, LaVine averaged 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.3 blocks last season while shooting 45.2% from the field, 34.9% from beyond the arc and 85.4% from the free-throw line.

LaVine signed a five-year, $215 million contract with the Bulls in July 2022 during unrestricted free agency. The shooting guard will make $43 million next season. 

A UCLA product, LaVine has career averages of 20.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.3 blocks with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Bulls.

“An offense with Nikola Jokić, LaVine and Jamal Murray might be unstoppable,” Buckley wrote. “LaVine could also keep the attack moving when Jokić takes a breather, since he’s a capable playmaker on the ball and a good enough long-range shooter off it to help spread the floor for the non-spacing Russell Westbrook. This could be the kind of jolt Denver needs to keep pace in the perpetually improving Western Conference.”

Porter Jr. averaged 16.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.7 blocks for the Nuggets last season while shooting 48.4% from the field, 39.7% from beyond the arc and 83.6% from the free-throw line. The NBA champion will make $35.9 million next season.

Porter Jr. has career averages of 15.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks. He’s only 26 years old. 

“Porter is overpaid for a shooting specialist, but 6’10” shot-makers who provide volume and efficiency will forever intrigue,” Buckley wrote. “Slotting into an offensive ecosystem with a less defined hierarchy might allow him to tap into the creation skills that had draft analysts so intrigued back in the day.”