NBA Rumors: Bulls Could Trade Zach Lavine To Nuggets For Gary Harris And Michael Porter Jr.
The Denver Nuggets might have succeeded in turning themselves from a rebuilding team to a legitimate title contender in the Western Conference, but as of now, they are not considered to be on the same level as other powerhouse teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. In order to have a better chance of fully dominating the Western Conference and winning the NBA championship title, most people believe the Nuggets still need more star power alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. One of the players they could target on the trade market in the 2020 NBA offseason is Zach Lavine of the Chicago Bulls.
In a recent article, Vincent Frank of Sportsnaut included the Lavine-to-Nuggets deal in the list of blockbuster trades he would want to see in the 2020 offseason. To acquire Lavine, Frank suggested that Denver could offer a trade package that includes Gary Harris and Michael Porter Jr. to the Bulls. The proposed trade deal works on ESPN‘s NBA Trade Machine.
If the trade becomes a reality, Frank believes it would help the Nuggets and the Bulls in filling up the needs to improve on their roster.
“If the Bulls do decide to move on from LaVine, adding a stud youngster in Michael Porter Jr. makes a lot of sense. He could team up with Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. to form an elite trio in the front court. For the Nuggets, this would be about going all in. Jamaal Murray is among the best young point guards in the NBA. Nikola Jokic is the single most-skilled center in the Association. Being able to acquire someone of LaVine’s ilk would make this team a top-end title contender moving forward.”
Lavine is still far from being a legitimate NBA superstar in the league, but he would still be an incredible addition to the Nuggets, giving them a very reliable scoring option behind Jokic and Murray. Aside from being a talented scorer, Lavine could also help them in term of rebounding, playmaking, and defending the perimeter. In his third year with the Bulls, he continues to show an impressive performance, averaging 25.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.5 steals, while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Joining an NBA team that already has two All-Star caliber players on their roster would force Lavine to make a huge adjustment in his game and accept a lesser role on the offensive end of the floor. However, once he finds a way to build good chemistry with Jokic and Murray, Denver could form a “Big Three” that would legitimize their chance of capturing the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the 2020-21 NBA season.
