Friday marks a turning point for Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls.

The majority of NBA players become tradable on Dec. 15. Although it’s not a mandatory impetus for action, the date opens the reasonable trade window for the Bulls and the rest of the league.

For the first time in the three-year tenure of executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas, the Bulls will cross this threshold as sellers. They’re at the forefront of the market as they aim to trade LaVine by the Feb. 8 deadline — and preferably earlier.

LaVine’s departure already has taken on a tone of inevitability in Chicago. Bulls fans are less focused on the “if” than the “when” and “where” of a trade. Determining those answers has been a laborious process over the last month.

The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be the clear front-runner for LaVine’s camp. He has been linked to them since his interest in a trade first was reported in November.

The Lakers make sense for a litany of reasons. The team is well-connected with LaVine’s agency, Klutch Sports. And LaVine spends his summers in Los Angeles, where he played in college for UCLA.

But trades aren’t made in a vacuum. For any deal to work, the Bulls need a sizable exchange — both to offset LaVine’s contract and to rationalize the exit of their franchise player.

So do the Lakers make sense as a trading partner? On the surface, it seems like the teams could make a mutually beneficial deal.

The Lakers will have six players become available on the trade market Friday. The most obvious target is D’Angelo Russell, who brings a similar skill set to LaVine and a $17.3 million salary for 2023-24 that would go a long way toward balancing LaVine’s max deal. Plenty of the Lakers supporting cast — such as shooter Gabe Vincent — also could be valuable additions for the Bulls as they transition to the franchise’s next chapter.

If Los Angeles is the landing spot for LaVine, the Bulls have another month to negotiate. The Lakers have two more desirable targets — Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves — who become tradable on Jan. 15, and it’s unlikely any team would close a trade until it can negotiate with all the pieces on the board.

The next month should be busy for Karnišovas. Regardless of whether the Bulls make a gambit for Hachimura and Reaves, Jan. 15 is a smart goal for them to have a LaVine deal in place.

It’s not the style of this front office to move multiple pieces at once. The ideal situation for the Bulls would be to move LaVine in mid-January, then take the next two weeks to size up the state of the team in the wake of that trade before making any additional moves before Feb. 8.

That stretch could prove significant to the future of the Bulls, who would need to determine if they want to trade or re-sign DeMar DeRozan — or risk letting him walk in free agency this summer after his contract expires. That’s a pivotal decision for the Bulls, as DeRozan’s veteran leadership has defined the locker room the last three seasons.

But Karnišovas’ first task is drumming up interest in one of his highest-value players. Every report in the past month has pointed out that few teams are interested in making a bid for LaVine. This makes it difficult for Karnišovas, who needs to move the two-time All-Star guard before he can take any further steps.

LaVine’s talent is undeniable, but he’s not the easiest sell. He’s hurt. He has almost no postseason experience despite being in his 10th season in the league. And his contract — which runs through 2025-26 at an average salary of $43 million and includes a $49 million player option for 2026-27 — is an albatross.

LaVine’s foot injury means all the theater of the trade process is playing out in the wings. He has played only seven games since his interest in a trade was reported, with some pedestrian scoring performances in that span. In the meantime, the Bulls are playing better with LaVine sidelined — even in losses.

There’s a high chance LaVine won’t be cleared to return to game action until the Jan. 15 checkpoint has passed. By that point, he might return to the court in a different jersey. That depends on Karnišovas and the market he finds beginning Friday.

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