Maybe Zach LaVine really does just want to get wined and dined by NBA executives after all.
On the latest edition of ESPN's The Hoop Collective, host Brian Windhorst shared his updated opinion that the Chicago Bulls guard has no desire to actually leave the Windy City when he hits free agency this summer.
"I don't think Zach LaVine wants to leave, that's not my read."
– @WindhorstESPN on the Chicago Bulls(Via The Hoop Collective Podcast)
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) June 2, 2022
LaVine raised eyebrows during his exit interview in late April after Chicago's first-round playoff loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Asked to address his future with his first dip into unrestricted free agency looming, the 27-year-old made abundantly clear that all of his options would be explored.
“I’m going into everything open-minded, but understand that my time here has been great,” LaVine said on April 29th, per Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. “We’ll see what the future holds.”
But just because he wants to experience free agency for the first hardly means LaVine's exit is guaranteed.
He also made sure to mention how much he's loved his tenure with the Bulls, and further expressed his excitement at experiencing free agency for the first time. There's surely some gamesmanship at play from LaVine here, too. If Chicago had full confidence he was returning, there's a chance the front office could feel comfortable offering LaVine a new contract less than his full max over four or five years.
Nothing is certain until pen is put to paper. It's not exactly surprising, though, that momentum now seems to be trending toward LaVine re-signing with the Bulls.
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