The NBA Trade Deadline is right around the corner, with all fans wondering: what will the Chicago Bulls do? Chicago has two players in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine who would undoubtedly garner trade attention if they’re placed on the block, but it remains to be seen whether or not the team would blow it up after a disappointing first half of the season. DraftKings Sportsbook has released NBA Trade Deadline odds, with Zach Lavine-DeMar Derozan trade odds carrying some extra importance.
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NBA Trade Deadline Odds: Zach LaVine & DeMar DeRozan on the Block?
Per DraftKings, Zach LaVine (+120) has a slightly better chance of getting traded than DeMar DeRozan (+200), but there remains a chance that both are moved prior to next week’s deadline. The Bulls (23-27) were hoping to build on last year’s playoff trip but have stumbled throughout the entire first half of the season. Chicago has shown spurts of great play, including dominant wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, but they have yet to string together consistent performances on a nightly basis.
The frustration has boiled over in the locker room, with several “player only” meetings and passive-aggressive comments to the media throughout the start of the season. According to Chicago Sun-Times writer Joe Cowley, the relationship between LaVine and Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has been “strained”.
Moreover, the Bulls brass was said to be holding out hope that the team would be turning a corner whenever point guard Lonzo Ball returns from injury, but he continues to suffer setbacks from an ominous knee injury suffered at the beginning of last season.
“It’s been really slow,” Donovan said, per Chicago Tribune. “It’s gotten better, but is he clearly without any pain? No, he’s not. He still has pain. We’re seeing the slow, gradual strides getting better, but I just don’t have any timetable of when he could even be back.”
The Bulls now find themselves in a position where they have to make a decision on their direction assuming Ball will be out for the foreseeable future. They just inked LaVine to a max deal in the offseason, but there is believed to be some mutual interest between the Los Angeles Lakers and LaVine.
Based on the latest NBA Trade Deadline odds, there are many scenarios the Bulls could take this week. They could opt to make separate Zach LaVine–DeMar DeRozan trades, trade just one of them or stand pat until the offseason. Regardless, it’s hard to imagine the Bulls are going to right the ship any time soon.
