Zach LaVine’s high-scoring, defenseless, net-negative on-court impact play perfectly suits the New York Knicks. That said, choice no. 8 in a weak draft and another apparent lottery failure (take your pick, Chicago Bulls) isn’t much to give up for a very productive 25-year-old shooting guard.
RJ Barrett proposes himself as an on-ball option due to his suspicious shot, and LaVine is also a skilled facilitator in 2. That combination would give the Knicks some interesting options on the point; they wouldn’t necessarily need a pure pick-and-roll master plan with so much direction at 2 and 3.
Of the two, Chicago would be the party to reject this deal. But perhaps the new management team led by Arturas Karnisovas would appreciate the idea of having two picks in the top 8. With their selection number 4 and one coming from New York, the Bulls could become even younger and more cost-controlled, still having Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr. and Coby White in their beginner chords. If the Bulls had grabbed a couple of potential three wings in the lottery, say Devin Vassell and Isaac Okoro, they would have a young, exciting and balanced core.