With rumors swirling, what could some deals between the Warriors and Bulls look like?
The Golden State Warriors have been getting tied to the Chicago Bulls in trade talks for months. With rumors continuing to fly, I decided to put together five potential trades that could make sense for both sides.
Here’s what I came up with:
1. Zach LaVine for a package without Jonathan Kuminga or Andrew Wiggins
Warriors get: Zach LaVine, Talen Horton-Tucker, Julian Phillips
Bulls get: Dennis Schröder, Gary Payton II, Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, Kevon Looney, 2025 GS 1st (Unprotected)
Yes, the Warriors can take on LaVine’s salary without trading Wiggins or Kuminga and stay just below their hard cap.
It’s undeniable that LaVine is no longer viewed by the league as player who is less valuable than his salary. The question facing the Warriors and Bulls is how much has the pendulum swung? Chicago is less than six months removed from desperately trying to get LaVine’s contract off their books, and given his injury history, one unlucky break could have them right back there.
Jonathan Kuminga would undeniably be a bigger name return, but that seems off the table from Golden State’s perspective. It honestly might not be that big of a problem for Chicago either. While Kuminga is a far better scorer than Patrick Williams, there are some similarities in their career-arcs that could rightfully make the Bulls front office nervous about paying another tweener 4/3.
In this deal, the Bulls would not have to worry about getting an extension with Kuminga, or committing $25 million per year to Wiggins. Instead, they could immediately redirect as many of the players they receive to other teams for as many second-round picks as they can acquire. They should easily be able to net three second rounders, and possibly more.
It’s fair to argue that LaVine’s impact is worth more than one unprotected first and several seconds, but is there another team out there that could help the Bulls clear that much salary that quickly alongside a first-round pick that will probably fall in the 12-20 range?
Given how desperate the Bulls once were to trade LaVine, fully clearing his contract for a bevy of mid to low-value picks might be too hard to pass up. If not, it’s not out of the question that the Warriors could part with a protected 2027 first-rounder as well, perhaps recouping a second rounder or two from Chicago.
2. Just Nikola Vučević
Warriors get: Nikola Vučević, 2025 SAC 2nd, 2028 CHI 2nd
Bulls get: Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters III, 2025 GS 1st (Top-5 protected)
The emergence of Quinten Post may make adding a stretch big with defensive weaknesses like Vučević less appealing, which is probably why the Warriors have reportedly shifted their focus to LaVine, however, there has been enough smoke here to justify playing around with potential fits.
The hold up here is no secret. The Bulls want a first-round pick for Vučević. The Dubs have been unwilling to do tha. In this deal, the Bulls give Golden State some protections and part with a pair of second-round picks to get them across the finish line. I’d be surprised if the Warriors move in this direction for several reasons, but this seems like the way a deal gets done if the Warriors decide Vučević is their top priority at the deadline.
3. A Zach LaVine trade built around Andrew Wiggins
Warriors get: Zach LaVine
Bulls get: Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Kevon Looney, 2025 GS 1st (Top-5 Protected), Right to first-round pick swap 2029 (Unprotected), 2025 MIA 2nd
The Warriors are making their salary cap management a lot harder by trying to acquire another player with a massive salary. Dealing Andrew Wiggins will weaken the Warriors wing depth significantly and put massive pressure on LaVine and his health. However, it also makes it far easier to make a deal work. LaVine is an undeniable upgrade (when healthy). If the Bulls aren’t open to other options, it’s probably still a deal worth pursuing.
If the Bulls are taking on Wiggins’ contract though, it’s harder to imagine Chicago accepting just one first-round pick. In this deal, the Warriors are able to hold onto their first-round picks in 2026-2028, leveraging the uncertainty that faces them in the likely post-Steph years by giving up unprotected opportunity to swap first-round picks in 2029 instead.
4. A funky Patrick Williams deal
Warriors get: Patrick Williams
Bulls get: Gary Payton II, Kyle Anderson, 2025 MIA 2nd
This out of left field idea made more sense prior to the Warriors recent wins. Williams signed a five-year, $90 million contract last offseason and has significantly regressed in Chicago to the point where they have started shopping the former-fourth overall pick. In a world where the Warriors are fully focused on the 2025-26 season, it might be worth using some of their expiring (or valuable mid-tier) deals to take a chance on Williams as a 3-and-D player to lessen their reliance on Wiggins.
5. The Complete Makeover
Warriors get: Zach LaVine, Nikola Vučević, Coby White, Torrey Craig, Talen Horton-Tucker, Julian Phillips, 2025 SAC 2nd
Bulls get: Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schröder, Gary Payton II, Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga, 2025 GS 1st (Unprotected), 2027 GS 1st (Top-5 protected)
What are the Bulls trying to do? If the answer is a complete tear down and tank, the Warriors could conceivably give them that opportunity. Wiggins, Kuminga, two first-round picks, several second rounders and roughly $50 million in 2025-26 salary commitments off their books would be a pretty massive reset for Chicago.
The Dubs wing depth would become incredibly thin following the trade, but Curry would have the most offensive firepower helping him out in years. While Curry, LaVine, Green, and Vučević would obviosuly be locked into the starting lineup, head coach Steve Kerr would have some experimenting to do to find the fifth starter.
Is there enough scoring to reinvigorate Podziemski in the starting lineup as a high-energy distributor? Would it be worth the defensive consequences of starting White in the backcourt alongside Curry? Perhaps veteran Torrey Craig is the kind of stable small forward that would balance the lineup best. Or maybe Moses Moody (*whispers* or maybe Kevin Knox)? Nevertheless, that would be Kerr’s biggest challenge in the second half.
While the immediate impact of such a major mid-season shakeup on the 2024-25 season is hard to predict, the Warriors would undeniably be in a far better position heading into the offseason. They would already have the following depth chart under contract:
PG: Curry, White, Podziemski
SG: LaVine, Moody
SF: Philips
PF: Green, Santos
C: Vučević, Jackson-Davis, Post*
*Assuming Post is converted from a two-way contract.
There offseason strategy would be simple, beef up their wing depth to compliment their offensive firepower. They would also have their mid-level exception and a clear opportunity at playing time to pitch prospective free agents.
It’s easy to see why rumors have swirled around the Bulls and Warriors for months. They have several avenues to aligning on some trades that could have ripple effects around the league. With less than a week until the NBA trade deadline on February 6th, we will see whether any of these possibilities turn into a real deal.