The Bulls officially kicked off their youth movement this week. In a major three-team trade, the Sacramento Kings acquired Zach LaVine from Chicago, while sending De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs. The Bulls, in return, regained their 2025 first-round pick from San Antonio and added three players: Zach Collins and Tre Jones from the Spurs, along with Kevin Huerter from the Kings.
Rumors of a LaVine trade had been circulating for over a year, and while the return may seem underwhelming, regaining their 2025 first-round pick is significant—especially with hopes of landing the No. 1 overall selection. Currently sitting at 22-29, the Bulls have a 5.3% chance of securing the top pick and a 23.1% chance of landing in the top four, per Tankathon. These odds will shift based on the team’s performance for the rest of the season, and more moves could be on the horizon, with Nikola Vučević and possibly even Lonzo Ball as potential trade candidates.
Matas Buzelis is wasting no time.
One overlooked silver lining of the LaVine trade is the opportunity it creates for rookie Matas Buzelis—and he’s already making the most of it.
Matas Buzelis balling
— Dave (@dave_bfr) February 5, 2025
pic.twitter.com/rJbJ3M371x
In his first game after the trade on Tuesday night, Buzelis made history, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score 20+ points without a single miss. In 31 minutes, he put up 24 points on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting performance—no free throws, just efficient drives, layups, dunks, and three-pointers, all within the flow of the game. It was a flawless display of shot selection and composure by a rookie.
Now, all eyes are on head coach Billy Donovan and how he’ll manage Buzelis’ minutes. Ideally, the rookie should see at least 20 minutes per game moving forward, giving him a real chance to develop. If Tuesday’s performance is any indication, this trade might have been exactly what Buzelis needed to thrive. And as the Bulls look to accelerate their rebuild, he could become a key piece of their future.
