Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine is set to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career this summer. LaVine has said he plans to enjoy free agency and look at all of his options, but the Bulls can still offer the biggest contract and finally reached the playoffs this past season. There are $212 million reason to think he'll be back in Chicago.
However, the rumor mill has been heating up in recent weeks, with talks of potential suitors racking up and outside rumblings that LaVine might not be thrilled with DeMar DeRozan taking his shine as the Bulls' alpha. The latest tidbit that will open some eyes comes from David Kaplan on ESPN 1000. Kaplan claims Chicago is split on giving LaVine a max contract:
According to @thekapman on @ESPN1000, there are some in the Chicago Bulls organization that want to give Zach LaVine a max deal and there are others that feel like he doesn't have the dog mentality it takes to win big.
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) June 1, 2022
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The “dog mentality” argument is hogwash given LaVine has improved basically every season in Chicago and just played hurt for the latter half of the 2021-22 season. While LaVine might not be the dog, say, Jimmy Butler is, he's still an extremely hard worker who has become one of the best scorers in the NBA. Plus, his defense has improved over the years, even if he's not a legit two-way superstar like Butler.
You have to wonder just where this leak is coming from. Is it coming from the Bulls as a precursor to not paying up? Is it coming from Klutch Sports to put public pressure on the organization to pay up? Is this LaVar Ball stirring up more stuff? Who knows!
Whatever the case, the Bulls shouldn't mess around when it comes to offering up LaVine a max contract. He has his flaws and he did just have knee surgery, but that shouldn't stop them. Again, he's one of the best scorers in the NBA and is entering his prime. Those players get maxed out in the NBA. If the Bulls want to be treated as a serious organization, they must take care of the star player who has been around since the start of the rebuild.
This was discussed on the latest episode of Blue Wire's Cash Considerations podcast, with co-host Ricky O'Donnell offering up this take:
“I have no doubt that Arturas Karnisovas wants to retain Zach LaVine and does not care how much money Zach LaVine gets. I'm sure he wants Zach around and will have no problem giving him a max contract. … It's about ownership. Part of Arturas' job is to advocate for himself and advocate for his vision. It's perhaps the most important part of his job seeing the way Jerry Reinsdorf has managed both the White Sox and the Bulls over the last 10 years. … In terms of Zach, you gotta pay him. There's no debate over whether or not they should pay him. Jerry, cut the check.”
Here's the full Cash Considerations episode:
Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast is part of the Blue Wire Podcast Network. The pod can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts.
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