By the NBA trade deadline, the Bulls can no longer remain satisfied.

The biggest nightmare of the Chicago Bulls’ 2023–24 season has undoubtedly been the disrespect shown to late executive Jerry Krause and his widow, who accepted the six-time NBA champion’s induction into the team’s Ring of Honor on his behalf. This is a season that includes an incredibly early players-only meeting and ongoing injury problems. The people who poured insults on Krause’s memory while the sad women sobbed ensured that their reckless act of cruelty would forever ruin an already dismal year.

What comes next? ruthlessly using a fan as a scapegoat because your team lost a crucial Game 7 despite blowing a three-run lead in the eighth inning? Wait, what?

Now, I know that a few loudmouthed idiots does not speak for the whole ardent fan base, and I appreciate your listening to me if I haven’t upset anyone. This seemingly pointless tirade against Chicago sports culture has a purpose. Nothing, no matter how wonderful or awful, about basketball should overshadow that fake of a ceremony. For the remainder of this article, bear that in mind.

Still, there’s still time for this series to suffer further setbacks. The course of this team’s destiny may be greatly influenced by the events over the next twelve days. Will the front desk concede it’s time to adjust or will it maintain its excessive patience? Now that the negatives have been highlighted, let’s talk about the worst-case scenario for the Bulls at the 2024 NBA trade deadline.

Bulls can’t keep both Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan on roster

On Thursday, February 8, at 3 p.m. ET, the Bulls ought to be headed in the right direction. They can either commit to a rebuild or wait out their never-ending injury troubles and see how the senior core meshes with up-and-coming younger talent like Coby White and possibly even Patrick Williams. Even if it is more difficult, one of those routes is more likely to yield fruitful outcomes in the long run.

Zach LaVine isn’t standing out as a top choice, and DeMar DeRozan’s deal is about to expire. Chicago may finally get out of no-man’s-land by trading both of these multiple All-Stars, as well as Nikola Vucevic if at all possible. Granted, the terms and magnitude of those contracts complicate matters, but general manager Marc Eversley needs to make every effort to acquire some significant future assets before to the deadline.

There is something to be said for starting over, even though the Bulls will likely have to swallow a sizable portion of the transfer fee in order to move these players—particularly the injured LaVine. The team’s performance this season (21–25, ninth in the Eastern Conference) is comparable to that of last year, when it was unable to go past the NBA Play-In Tournament. In this market, it is never appropriate to tolerate stagnation.

If Bulls compromise, there should still be Zach LaVine trade demand

The 28-year-old has only played in 25 games this season and has seen a decline in production. This is his worst season with the team. Potential suitors may be particularly concerned about his 34.9 percent 3-point shooting, and an average pay starting at almost $43 million per year from 2024–2027 is absolutely alarming. However, there are still business leaders out there who are willing to hear and might even agree to swap LaVine. Per ChicagoBullsCentral, an insider thinks the team is getting ready for a possible trade already.

The former UCLA standout has been mentioned as a potential dance partner for the Detroit Pistons, who may be willing to take a chance on her in exchange for some extra legitimacy. With LaVine, the Pistons are more intriguing and better, assuming they keep their two finest young players, Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. He has a fantastic chance to get his mojo back. Detroit has enough cap room to consider this deal at the very least.

When healthy, Zach LaVine can still score baskets frequently, which should spark some interest. It’s preferable for the Bulls to get out from under this contract now because they will still suffer a lot from it. Sure, his trading value might increase once more. However, it might also