At full health, Beal is roughly LaVine’s equal. He’s less of a run-and-jump athlete, but he’s stronger and craftier. The end result is 25-30 relatively efficient points per game on an annual basis from both players.

A Beal-for-LaVine swap doesn’t make sense. LaVine is an unrestricted free agent. If he’s involved in a sign-and-trade, it’s going to be to a destination of his choosing. There’s no reason he’d choose a Washington Wizards team in a smaller market with a weaker supporting cast than the one he has in Chicago.

On the other hand, he could choose to team up with Damian Lillard. Speculation that he might has already made its way into the rumor mill. This deal allows him to do so, while also allowing his former Bulls to replace him.

As for the Wizards, this deal gets them what they should probably be targeting if they’re trading Beal anyway: a boatload of draft picks.

Vucevic would be headed to San Antonio with the Spurs sending the Bulls a return in this NBA trade scenario, including Jakob Poeltl, Josh Richardson, and a second-round pick.

Poeltl has just one year left on a three-year deal he signed with the San Antonio Spurs. The team needs to decide if he’s a long-term answer. If not, they would benefit from making a move.

Vucevic is also in the final year of his deal, and making a trade would create a trial for the Spurs to determine if they want to keep him long-term.

The Bulls would be prioritizing a cheap option at center and one that brings more defensive impact.