A new contract for Zach LaVine will be among the Bulls‘ top priorities for the offseason, writes Bobby Marks of ESPN. LaVine, who has been a bargain on the four-year, $80MM offer sheet that Chicago matched in 2018, ranked 58th in the league in salary this season at $19.5MM, Marks notes.
Coming off back-to-back All-Star appearances, LaVine is eligible for a five-year max contract worth approximately $212MM. The only concern for the Bulls is durability, Marks adds, as LaVine missed 15 games this season, which was the fewest in his five years in Chicago.
Eleven of those games were due to soreness in his left knee, which had to be surgically repaired in 2017, and LaVine will likely have surgery on the knee again this offseason. His current contract contains a clause that protects the Bulls in case of a catastrophic injury to the knee, but the team shouldn’t expect him to agree to that in a new deal, according to Marks.
Marks cites five teams — the Pistons, Pacers, Magic, Spurs and Trail Blazers — that project to have enough cap space to make LaVine a $36.6MM max offer.
There’s more from Chicago:
- Another major decision is a potential four-year, $118MM extension for center Nikola Vucevic, Marks states in the same piece. Vucevic, who was acquired at the 2021 trade deadline, regressed somewhat in his first full season with the Bulls, finishing fifth worst in the league in effective field goal percentage among players who took at least 500 shots and declining in three-point shooting from 40% to 31%. Marks suggests he might receive a two-year, $40MM extension similar to what Clint Capela got from the Hawks last year.
- Tony Bradley, who started 10 games at center this season, has until June 29 to decide on his $2MM player option for 2022/23, Marks adds. Bradley only averaged 10 minutes per night in 55 games in his first season in Chicago, and he can make $100K more next season on a veteran’s minimum contract.
- LaVine missed tonight’s game after being placed in health and safety protocols, and it may have been difficult for him to return if the Bulls had extended the series. “He’s pretty sick,” coach Billy Donovan said. “… He’s definitely under the weather, just in my communication with him.” (video link from NBC Sports Chicago)
- Even though it ended with a first-round loss, DeMar DeRozan was very happy with his first season as a Bull, tweets KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “Perfect. Couldn’t have went a better way,” DeRozan said. “It’s been a great year to say the least. Just being around the front office, teammates, city. Everything has been something more than I could’ve imagined.”
Zach Lavine is a classic example of a player that is deserving of a max deal based on the NBA’s current salary structure but in reality is not worth such a huge percentage of a team’s payroll.
100% agree with u.if he still want max,bulls should sign and trade him.
Can’t pay a dude that much who isn’t gonna be on the floor when it matters.
I recall when ZLV signed his existing contract, there was much dissent from these posters about whether he was even that valuable… and whether he would ever be a winner. These latter doubts were not wrong and probably will continue if he signs the max, which I assume will start at about $35m and go five years.
Leaguewide salary inflation makes his current $20m seem not so large.
But, I still don’t connect him to winning. That’s Derozan, Caruso, Ball.
Three team mega deal:
Lakers: Gordan Hayward, Nikola Vucevic and Terry Rozier
Hornets: Russell Westbrook and Patrick Williams
Bulls: Anthony Davis, PJ Washington and 15th pick in the draft.
Lakers in FA also bring back Melo and Augustine then bring in Tristan Thompson and Paul Millsap.
They then line up
1. Rozier. Nunn. Augustine
2. Monk. THT. Reaves
3. Hayward. Johnson
4. LBJ. Melo. Millsap
5. Vuce. Thompson
Hornets for whatever reason want Russ and they get him. They also swap Washington and a pick for Patrick Williams, which turns out to be a great move. He fills the 4 spot perfectly around LaMelo and Bridges.
Chicago, after being beat badly by the Bucks. Decide to bring back home town kid Anthony Davis who will be fit and healthy. However with concerns over AD they get Andre Drummond.
In the draft they get Agbagi and Kessler.
They line up
1. Lonzo Ball. Coby
2. Zach LaVine. Ayo. Agbaji
3. DeMare DeRozan. Caruso. Green
4. Anthony Davis. Washington.
5. Andre Drummond. Kessler
Overall Lakers improve enough to make the playoffs although that doesn’t mean much cause they lose straight away anyways. LBJ leaves at the end of the season.
Hornets regret the Russ move and it cause locker room issues. However he does improve on the court enough for his value to increase and he is trade able. Patty Williams establishes himself as the 4 of the future.
Bulls now have a much stronger and deeper side. AD is a great fit and him DeRozan and LaVine look excellent. However they do have spacing issues and need to add a shooter at the 5. Agbaji is a great fit, Washington and Kessler are all great fits. Promising future
Or…LaVine just signs with the Blazers
L
That trade heavily favors the Lakers and the Hornets acquire overpaid peanuts.
Need more going to the Lakers and the Hornets.
Maybe LaVine to the Lakers and multiple 1sts, multiple 2nds, and 1st swaps so Hornets get best of three possible picks between them, Bulls, and Lakers whenever possible for the next whenever years.
I have to feel you are a Bulls fan.
Underselling AD too much IMO…
ZLV must be paid, either by CHI or someone else!
I am very happy for DeMar, happiness trumps winning any day of the week & twice on Sundays!
Vucevic deserves a lot more than Capela, he has been pretty good this year, some numbers down, but he is now the #3 option instead of the #1, so that is no issue at all!
It is an issue since he is #3. He will get paid by someone and if he gets his panties in a bind by an insulted offer then trade him. He still has value but look at what the Rockets gave Capela (Vuc is better but) and then they had to trade (sell off) him.
Look at how good Duncan R was for the Heat and now there is speculation that they have to give up a 1st to get someone to take his contract.
Best course of action for the Bulls is pull off a sign and trade of LaVine and build around P. Williams instead…
LaVine knee is going to be an issue for the rest of his career and it is best to sell high on him and move forward because LaVine can not carry a team and shouldn’t be counted on being healthy either…
As for their Center the Bulls need to also trade him and look to improve at Center and PF while moving Williams back to SF…
The bench need help also because as how this team is built now they are a fringe playoff team…
No
These max contracts are messing up the NBA. Too much money for only one player. What about the rest of the team?
Exactly. Max contracts for their best player/s who can’t even lead them to a whiff of contention.
The current max contracts system basically creates a rope by which teams hang themselves with.
The NBA should replace this system with something more logical/practical e.g. rationalize the numbers, more performance, achievements indices to meet, etc.
Mike I would like that idea more if the max was tied to team goals like wins. But maybe it’s the appropriate managements who are taking the rope.
I would offer him the regular max at 4 years. Or S&T him.