3 Increasingly extreme Heat and Bulls trades to reshape both franchises

The Miami Heat are 9-10. The Chicago Bulls are 9-13. Both teams are firmly in the middle of the pack – the worst spot in the NBA – and need to be turned around. Finding a path in a new direction can be difficult, especially in the middle of a season, but perhaps these teams can help each other.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, via The Stone Linethe Bulls have made almost everyone on the roster available.

“It’s no surprise, then, that Bulls executives have told rival front offices, according to league sources, that they are willing to discuss the majority of their roster in trade talks before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.” According to sources, Chicago has especially expressed the desire to move LaVine, Vučević and Ball.”

The Bulls have some things that could help the Heat and vice versa. Some deals make a lot of sense at first glance, while other hypothetical frameworks could be considered extreme. We’ll explore the gamut in this area, starting with the most sensible deal and working our way to the craziest idea.

Getting heat: Nikola Vucevic

Bulls get: Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic

If the Bulls have accomplished anything this season, it’s establishing a pace-and-space identity. They rank first in pace, making the third-most 3-point attempts per game this season. Players like Duncan Robinson and Nikola Jovic fit this identity better than 34-year-old Nikola Vucevic.

Robinson could help man the wing in Chicago as a plus-football player who doesn’t need the ball to be effective. Jovic is a fascinating young player who, at 1.90 m tall, can dribble, shoot and pass. He’s raw, but the rebuilding Bulls can be patient with his development.

In the meantime, the Heat will get the help they need upfront in Vucevic. After shooting down a year ago, Vucevic has a 47.6% shooting rate from deep this season. At 6-foot-10 and 260 pounds, he would expand the center position and allow Bam Adebayo to slide forward powerfully without sacrificing spacing.

Getting heat: Lonzo Ball

The Bulls get: Terry Rozier, 2030 pick swap

If the Bulls want to finish the final year of Ball’s contract, multiple second-round picks or a first-round pick swap might be the best they can do for the injury-prone point guard. After not playing since 2021, Ball returned this season but has already missed 16 of Chicago’s first 22 games.

If the Heat are willing to take a chance on Ball, he fits a lot of what they need next to Tyler Herro in the backcourt. When healthy, Ball is a plus defender who can make threes and push the pace. He’s a smart player who can make plays for Herro and Adebayo or play against them when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands.

Heat got: Zach LaVine, Dalen Terry, Julian Philips, 2025 first-round pick (via POR, top-14 protected), 2027 first-round pick

Getting Bulls: Jimmy Butler

Let’s get weird! If the Heat decide that the Jimmy Butler era is over, it could be difficult to find a landing spot before the trade deadline. Teams like the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks could reportedly be interested, but what about Butler’s original team?

The Bulls could use a Butler deal to get out of Zach LaVine’s onerous contract while also giving fans something exciting for a few months. Butler can become a free agent this summer or opt for a salary of $52.4 million next season. Either way, it’s less than the $138 million LaVine is owed over the next three years, including this season.

For the Heat, they acquire a 29-year-old LaVine, who fits into a new timeline based on 27-year-old Adebayo and 24-year-old Herro. LaVine and Herro would immediately develop into one of the best 3-point shooters in the league and could complement Adebayo’s game well. The Heat also receive interesting candidates in Dalen Terry and Julian Philips as well as two draft picks for the effort to get LaVine’s contract out of Chicago’s hands.