This offseason, several NBA teams have opted for a rebuild, including the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks—both former playoff teams in the Eastern Conference. Despite their talent, neither team was ever truly a championship contender, leading them to make tough decisions. The Hawks parted ways with Dejounte Murray, breaking up the backcourt duo with Trae Young, while the Bulls saw DeMar DeRozan exit, officially ending the Zach LaVine-DeRozan-Vucevic trio.

For many fans, these moves were expected, as both teams seemed to lack a clear direction from the start. Their struggles largely stemmed from having weak first options at the core of their rosters.

The role of a team's franchise player is crucial. Ideally, a franchise cornerstone should be an MVP-caliber player or, at the very least, a top-five candidate in the MVP race. For example, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have yet to win MVP, but their performances place them in that conversation. The Hawks placed Trae Young in that role, but while his scoring and playmaking are impressive, his inefficiency and high turnover rate keep him from being on the same level as Doncic or Gilgeous-Alexander.

As for the Bulls, they chose Zach LaVine as their primary option—a move that has proven questionable. Although LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic are all former All-Stars, none have shown the ability to lead a team to true contention. LaVine’s scoring increased dramatically after joining the Bulls, jumping from 14 points per game with the Timberwolves to 27.4 points per game during the 2020-21 season. That year, he averaged 27.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and shot an impressive 50.9% from the field, 41.9% from three, and 84.9% from the free-throw line—numbers that earned him an All-Star selection in the Eastern Conference.

Due to his stellar performance, the Bulls rewarded LaVine with a massive five-year, $215 million max contract in the 2022 offseason, officially placing him as the team’s leader. However, since signing the deal, his scoring has dropped each season, from 27.4 points to 24.4, and finally to 19.5 points last season. The 2023-24 season saw LaVine sidelined by injuries, managing only 25 games with averages of 19.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and shooting splits of 45.2% from the field and 34.9% from three—far below his peak.

Injuries and declining production have led many fans to label LaVine’s contract as a major overpay. The Bulls have actively shopped LaVine this offseason, but no team has been willing to take on his contract, leaving him stuck as the franchise player with no clear trade options. This is the risk teams take when handing out max contracts: if the player doesn’t develop into an MVP-caliber star, the deal quickly becomes a burden.

According to recent reports from ESPN, the Bulls are now eager to move both LaVine and Nikola Vucevic before the start of the new season, even considering lowering their trade demands. Fans believe the duo’s declining performance and defensive liabilities are the main reasons why no team has shown interest. While Vucevic’s contract is more manageable at two years, $42 million, it still hasn’t drawn any significant trade interest.

Could the Lakers, who are in need of a starting center, take a chance on Vucevic in a budget-friendly deal?