Zach LaVine

Central Notes: Horton-Tucker, Bulls, Bucks, Pistons

September 5th, 2024 at 1:08pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent guard Talen Horton-Tucker will reportedly be signing with his hometown Bulls. According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, the five-year veteran will sign an Exhibit 10 deal for training camp.

Shams Charania of The Athletic, who broke the news of both deals, said that Horton-Tucker and Mac McClung (Magic) received partially guaranteed contracts. From the players’ perspective, that’s not wrong in a sense — the Exhibit 10 language in their contracts makes them eligible for a bonus worth $77.5K (on top of their G League salaries) if they’re waived and spend at least 60 days with their clubs’ NBAGL affiliates.

It is misleading though, because for NBA teams, Exhibit 10 deals are one-year, minimum-salary contracts that are non-guaranteed. For example, if Horton-Tucker is immediately cut after the deal is official, the Bulls won’t carry any dead money toward the salary cap. That’s different than a player like Keon Johnson — if the Nets waive him today for whatever reason, they would owe him his full $250K partial guarantee while carrying an identical dead-money cap hit for 2024/25.

Here’s more from the Central:

In another story for NBC Sports Chicago, Johnson attempts to predict the Bulls‘ starting lineup and rotation. Despite the obvious defensive shortcomings, Johnson believes Josh Giddey, Coby White, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic is the “most logical” outcome for the starting five. However, only Ayo Dosunmu and free agent addition Jalen Smith seem like locks for rotation minutes off the bench, per Johnson.
Eric Nehm of The Athletic answers mailbag questions related to the Bucks, including whether they should reduce Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s workload during the upcoming season to try to keep him fresh ahead of a potential playoff run. Nehm also examines whether Taurean Prince could be used at power forward in small-ball lineups featuring Antetokounmpo at center.
Will the Pistons carry a 15th player on their standard roster to open the season? What about their remaining cap room — will they use it before the season starts or carry it over until the trade deadline? Keith Langlois of Pistons.com explores those questions.

Warriors Showing No Interest In Brandon Ingram, Zach LaVine

August 6th, 2024 at 10:43pm CST by Tristan Tucker

After not acquiring Lauri Markkanen from the Jazz, the Warriors are reportedly not currently showing interest in vying for the services of either Brandon Ingram of the Pelicans or Zach LaVine of the Bulls, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Tony Jones and Anthony Slater.

Even though the Warriors didn’t land either of their high-profile targets of the offseason after also striking out on Paul George, they aren’t panicking. They’re reportedly comfortable entering the season with their current 14-man group.

Both Ingram and LaVine have experienced limited trad markets this offseason, primarily due to their contract situations. LaVine has three years and approximately $138MM left on his deal, while Ingram – who is on an expiring $36MM contract – appears to be seeking a lucrative long-term extension.

The Warriors lost Klay Thompson this offseason but added De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters. They also held firm on their refusal to include Brandin Podziemski in any potential trade for Markkanen, so they’ll be counting on him and fellow young players Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis to continue to develop.

Golden State viewed Markkanen as a terrific fit due to his age and contract situation, but now that he’s on track to renegotiate and extend his contract with Utah, they know he’ll be unavailable until at least the 2025 offseason and will continue to evaluate their roster, per The Athletic.

Owning all but one of their future first-rounders (with the exception of a heavily protected 2030 pick) alongside their young players makes the Warriors a threat to pull off a blockbuster at any point of the season, and they’ll look to be buyers up to the February trade deadline.

Until then, the Warriors may seek smaller-scale trades through August and September more actively than what is typical from NBA teams, according to The Athletic’s report.

Bulls Reportedly Still Trying To Trade LaVine, Vucevic

August 4th, 2024 at 11:29am CST by Rory Maher

Marc Stein reported a couple weeks ago that while Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic remain trade candidates, it appears increasingly likely that both players will open the 2024/25 season as Bulls.

Apparently it isn’t for lack of effort from the front office though. According to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas continues to actively explore deals for the former All-Stars, but obviously the team hasn’t found anything suitable to this point.

LaVine is owed about $138MM over the next three seasons (including a $49MM player option for 2026/27), while Vucevic will earn $41MM through 2026. That salary differential is one reason why Vucevic is viewed as more likely to be moved than LaVine, though Stein wrote that a trade for the 33-year-old big man might not come together until after the season begins.

Cowley’s article is mostly focused on the Bulls’ rotation, which will be difficult for head coach Billy Donovan to manage if the roster remains intact. As Cowley writes, the backcourt, in particular, could be problematic, with Josh Giddey, LaVine and Coby White — three offense-first guards — seemingly likely to start, with Patrick Williams and Vucevic rounding out the first five.

Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry, Jevon Carter, and perhaps even Lonzo Ball will be among the guards off the bench, Cowley notes, further illustrating the rotational dilemma Donovan could face this fall.

Bulls Notes: Offseason, Giddey Deal, DeRozan, LaVine, Donovan

July 31st, 2024 at 10:08am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls entered the 2024 offseason recognizing that major roster changes were necessary, with president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas telling members of his staff that the team needed to have a summer like 2021, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.

Unlike in 2021, when the club added a pair of win-now veterans – DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball – in sign-and-trade deals, Chicago focused this offseason on younger players, acquiring 21-year-old guard Josh Giddey, adding 24-year-old big man Jalen Smith in free agency, re-signing 22-year-old restricted free agent Patrick Williams, and drafting 19-year-old forward Matas Buzelis.

“We’ve gone young,” general manager Marc Eversley told Collier. “We’ve got players who are experienced and give us a greater opportunity to have a longer runway for sustainability to winning meaningful games for a longer time.”

Despite their focus on accumulating younger talent, the Bulls haven’t fully hit the reset button, with veterans like Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic still on the roster. So is the goal for the 2024/25 season getting back to the playoffs or beginning a rebuild? Eversley dismissed the idea that Chicago will bottom out, but also acknowledged the team isn’t exactly in win-now mode.

“We’re not so focused on being a top-six seed or being in the play-in,” Eversley said. “We’re focusing on developing this group every single day and see how much better they can get over the next year.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

If Chicago were committed to fully rebuilding, the front office may have been more inclined to trade Alex Caruso for draft assets instead of Giddey, a three-year veteran who is up for a rookie scale extension this offseason. But the Bulls weren’t just looking to sell off vets for future assets, per Eversley. “There’s no appetite in our building to go young and just blow it all up,” the GM told Collier. “We’ve gone young. We’ve got players who are experienced and give us a greater opportunity to have a longer runway for sustainability to winning meaningful games for a longer time. I don’t want to, a year from now, [be] winning 15 games and focusing on the lottery. We have an opportunity here to roll out younger players who give us an opportunity to turn this thing around, maybe not quicker, but in a more pragmatic approach than just looking at the future and building through the draft.”
The Bulls and DeRozan consistently expressed mutual interest in continuing their relationship leading up to the offseason, but once the team’s new direction became clear, the two sides never came close to reaching an agreement on a new contract, sources tell ESPN. “I love DeMar. He was terrific for our organization the last three years,” Eversley said. “But I don’t think we were in a position to deliver what he was looking for going forward. He wants to win. He deserves an opportunity to win at a really high level. And arguably, we’re not in that situation right now. As much as it hurt to let him go, I’m extremely happy for him.”
There has been some tension between LaVine and the Bulls over the past year, according to Collier, who cites LaVine’s interest in a trade and his decision to undergo season-ending surgery in February as two factors that rubbed the team the wrong way. According to Collier, LaVine letting the Bulls know he was open to being dealt “irked” Karnisovas because it suggested he wasn’t committed to sticking with the team — that gripe seems unfair to me, given that Chicago had already discussed LaVine in trade talks before that.
LaVine and head coach Billy Donovan have also clashed over the years, Collier writes, though Donovan flew to Los Angeles this month to spend some time with the star guard and the feedback from that visit has been positive. According to Collier, LaVine has felt in the past as if he’s been singled out during film sessions and disproportionately blamed for losses, while Donovan believes he’s simply trying to get the 29-year-old to adopt a more team-friendly playing style.
The expectation at this point is that LaVine will open the season with the Bulls, though a split still seems likely at some point. LaVine could improve his trade value by buying into Donovan’s vision for him, a team source tells Collier. “He’s never won, he’s done it his way the whole way and never won,” that source said. “If he’s interested in winning, he’ll do what’s asked of him. And if he’s motivated to not be here, one way is to come, be compliant and be who he is.”

Stein’s Latest: LaVine, Vucevic, Nembhard, Morris, C. Jones, More

July 26th, 2024 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

While Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic remain trade candidates, it appears increasingly likely that both players will open the 2024/25 season as Bulls, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.

League sources tell Stein that the Bulls are “resigned” to the fact that they’re unlikely to find a deal they like for LaVine before opening night and may have to try to help him rebuild some trade value early in the season.

As for Vucevic, his contract (two years for about $41MM) should be easier to move than LaVine’s, but the expectation is that it will be easier for Chicago to find a deal sometime after the season begins than before that, Stein explains.

Here are a few more items from within Stein’s latest look around the NBA:

According to Stein’s sources, Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was only willing to accept a three-year extension from Indiana rather than a four-year deal. The contract will put Nembhard in position to sign his next contract in 2028 when he’s 28 and presumably right in his prime.
The Mavericks remain committed to re-signing forward Markieff Morris, even after filling their 15-man roster by adding Spencer Dinwiddie, Stein reports. As Stein observes, A.J. Lawson is the most vulnerable of the 15 players on standard contracts, since his 2024/25 salary is non-guaranteed.
Former NBA guard Carlik Jones, a key member of the South Sudan Olympic team, is committed to playing for KK Partizan next season after not exercising his NBA out by the July 25 deadline, according to Stein, who notes that Donta Hall‘s new two-year contract with Baskonia has an NBA out after the 2024/25 season.
Evan Fournier and Patty Mills, who finished last season on NBA rosters but don’t have contracts for 2024/25, are among the notable free agents to watch at the Olympics, according to Stein. Stein is also curious about whether a strong showing from Nets guard Dennis Schröder in Paris could help boost his trade value as the German enters a contract year.

Central Notes: Trent, LaVine, Donovan, Harris, Holland

July 17th, 2024 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Gary Trent Jr. had multiyear offers worth approximately the taxpayer portion of the mid-level exception ($5.2MM) on the table in free agency, league sources tell Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. However, the 25-year-old swingman ultimately decided to accept a one-year, minimum-salary offer from the Bucks in order to reunite with former teammate Damian Lillard and contend for a title in Milwaukee.

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, who had a preexisting relationship with Trent through his father (Gary Trent Sr.), flew to Miami earlier this month to help recruit the free agent wing to Milwaukee, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN.com.

While Trent’s three-point numbers last season (2.5 per game on 39.3% shooting) fell a little shy of Malik Beasley‘s marks (2.8 makes on 41.3% shooting), Eric Nehm of The Athletic believes there’s reason to believe the newcomer can boost those stats even further when sharing the floor with stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard.

As Nehm writes, Trent also isn’t just a catch-and-shoot player — he has the ability to put the ball on the floor a little and attack closeouts on offense. And while he’s not the most consistent defender, Trent has had his moments on that end of the floor and should benefit from having Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez protecting the rim behind him.

Here’s more from around the Central:

A source who spoke to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times referred to DeMar DeRozan as someone who has acted as a “buffer” between Bulls head coach Billy Donovan and star guard Zach LaVine for the past three seasons. According to that source, with DeRozan no longer around, the team would risk a “dysfunctional” locker room next season if it brings back LaVine.
After signing a two-year, $52MM contract with the Pistons earlier this month, veteran forward Tobias Harris said his biggest goal for the coming season is to “be the best leader I can be for this group” and trying to help his younger teammates reach their full potential, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “I’m going into year 14,” Harris said on Tuesday’s Summer League broadcast on NBA TV. “I’ve had a lot of experience in this league and one of the most satisfying things is seeing the young guys come up for us to figure out how good we can be as a group and have the best type of team chemistry and flow for us.”
Speaking to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Pistons rookie Ron Holland discussed his Summer League experience, his goals for his rookie season, and the NBA players he wants to model his game after (including Mikal Bridges and Jaylen Brown). Meanwhile, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press takes a look at what Holland has shown in his Summer League games so far, noting that the 19-year-old’s impressive tools and his room for growth have both been on display.

Central Notes: Bulls, LaVine, Pistons, Mathurin, Morris

July 15th, 2024 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Sunday in Las Vegas, Bulls president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas explained why the front office waited until this summer to shake up a roster that finished below .500 in each of the past two regular seasons.

“I think three years ago when we came up with our plan, our formula, that worked for a short period of time until we got into injuries. The reactions, the second year and then obviously, we waited a third year to see where we at,” Karnisovas said, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “Now, we’re kind of making these changes. You could argue it’s too late or early. But that’s where we are right now. We felt that we owed to that group to give them a chance to figure it out. And when we cannot figure it out, that’s when it’s up to us to have direction of the team and make changes. And that’s what happened.”

Those changes have included trading Alex Caruso for fourth-year guard Josh Giddey and letting DeMar DeRozan leave for Sacramento in a sign-and-trade deal. As Johnson relays, Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley both raved about DeRozan’s three years in Chicago, referring to him as a player who represented the team’s values and who was an “extension of (head coach) Billy (Donovan) on the court and off the court.”

While a trade involving Zach LaVine remains possible before the 2024/25 season begins, the Bulls’ top executives suggested on Sunday that they don’t want to make a bad deal to just get LaVine – who has three years left on his maximum-salary contract – off their books. Karnisovas spoke as if the team is preparing for the two-time All-Star to remain on the roster this fall, and Johnson says management believes injuries contributed to LaVine’s slow start last season.

“We expect Zach being fully healthy. And he is healthy. I think he can help this group next year. He’s been professional,” Karnisovas said. “Again, he’s healthy. We expect him to be with us at the start of training camp.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

The Pistons‘ roster isn’t necessarily a finished product, but with 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, it’s getting pretty close, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. With that in mind, Edwards explores what the team’s depth chart for 2024/25 might look like, explaining why he’s penciling in Ausar Thompson over Simone Fontecchio as a starter at small forward.
Bennedict Mathurin, whose 2023/24 season came to an early end due to shoulder surgery, has “almost been cleared for contact,” according to Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle (Twitter link via Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files). The expectation is that Mathurin will be ready to go for training camp this fall.
The Pacers announced on Saturday that Jim Morris, the vice chairman of Pacers Sports and Entertainment, has died at the age of 81. “There are no words that would do justice to how consequential Jim’s life truly was,” Pacers governor Herb Simon said as part of a longer statement. In a statement of his own (Twitter link), NBA commissioner Adam Silver referred to Morris as “Indiana royalty.”

Bulls Notes: Phillips, LaVine, Vucevic, Buzelis

July 14th, 2024 at 3:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With a path to playing time seemingly opened by the departures of two veteran wings, young Bulls forward Julian Phillips is hoping to get some extended run this season, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

“Just my leadership and being around the ball,” Phillips said of his goals for his second Summer League with the Bulls this year. “Get loose balls, rebounds. Defense, get my hands on loose balls. Try to be all around.”

With ex-Bulls Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan having been sent to contending Western Conference squads, an opportunity could open up for Phillips to earn more rotation minutes this year. Phillips, for his part, seems grateful for the lessons learned from Caruso and DeRozan during his rookie season in 2023/24.

“They both helped and taught me a lot, so I appreciate them for everything,” Phillips said. “It’s not our job to worry about the roster decisions. That’s up to the front office. Our job is to be ready to play. We got a lot of great guys and we’ll be ready for it for sure.”

There’s more out of the Windy City:

The Bulls received poor marks for their trades of Caruso and DeRozan from Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who is underwhelmed by the return for Caruso and believes the team waited too long to move on from DeRozan. Cowley adds that two of the club’s other pricey veterans, shooting guard Zach LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic, may be stuck on a rebuilding Chicago team for a while, as neither seems to have garnered much trade interest around the league.
During his Summer League debut, a 96-89 win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, Bulls lottery pick Matas Buzelis scored 15 points, grabbed seven boards and blocked two shots. He showed a knack for drawing contact in taking seven free throws during 29 minutes of action, and proved adept at defending the rack. Buzelis, however, was concerned by his 4-of-15 shooting line and some defensive decisions away from the rim, notes K.C. Johnson in another NBC Sports Chicago story. “Honestly, I was very sloppy,” Buzelis said. “I can play a lot better.”
In case you missed it, Chicago recently waived two-way power forward RaiQuan Gray, acquired in the team’s three-team sign-and-trade deal that sent DeRozan to Sacramento.

Central Notes: Furphy, Walker, LaVine, Pistons’ Moves

July 7th, 2024 at 8:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Johnny Furphy had the unfortunate experience of sitting in the green room during the first day of the draft and not getting selected. The Pacers nabbed the former Kansas forward early in the second round. He came to the Summer League team ready to go.

“It’s something I’d been working for my whole life,” Furphy told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “It was just a massive relief. It was great to have my family there to share those moments with them. It was a dream come true. It’s pretty surreal, it’s just slowly settling in now that this is reality. It’s exciting.”

We have more from the Central Division:

The Pacers drafted Jarace Walker last year as a power forward. With Pascal Siakam re-signing with the club, Walker will get extended minutes at small forward during Summer League play. He’ll also get opportunities to handle the ball, according to Dopirak. “I feel like playing the three, I’m bigger and longer. I’m usually stronger so I’m probably going to have a smaller, quicker matchup,” he said. “Being able to move my feet, stay in front of those matchups and keep them from going downhill. That’s always been kind of my strong suit almost, my defensive versatility being able to guard multiple positions. It will be a challenge, but nothing I haven’t done for.”
The Bulls and Kings worked out a three-team deal in which DeMar DeRozan will head to Sacramento in a sign-and-trade. Chicago attempted to trade another starter to the Kings before the DeRozan deal materialized, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. The two teams held trade talks centered on Zach LaVine. The Bulls will continue their efforts to trade LaVine and they now have two second-round picks coming in the DeRozan deal to help facilitate a potential trade.
So far, Trajan Langdon has shown patience in his first year as the Pistons’ president of basketball operations and that’s a good thing, James Edwards III of The Athletic opines. Langdon has brought in veterans on short-team contracts with proven shooting ability to help out Cade Cunningham. He’s also got more cap space available to acquire other players in salary dumps with assets attached, as he did with Dallas in the Tim Hardaway Jr. trade.
In a similar piece, Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press asserts that the moves Langdon and his front office staff have made gives the Pistons some semblance of a modern NBA roster. Doubling last season’s 14-win total isn’t out of the question with the veterans they’ve added to help balance the roster, Windsor adds.

Eastern Notes: LaVine, Maxey, Vezenkov, Knicks, Prince

July 4th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Bulls continue to explore the trade market for a possible Zach LaVine deal, agent Rich Paul wants it known that his client is handling the situation professionally and isn’t agitating for a move or taking issue with the team’s actions, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

“I want to make this clean and clear: This whole idea that Zach has been anything but professional in this situation is false,” Paul told Johnson over the phone. “This guy has played hurt. He has represented the franchise with class. A lot has taken place during his time with the Bulls and he’s taken the high road every time. Does every player get frustrated at times? Yes. But Zach has been the ultimate professional and deserves better. The Bulls have business to do. And we’re letting them handle their business.”

LaVine’s trade value is at an all-time low, primarily due to his contract — the three years and $138MM left on his deal look especially onerous in the NBA’s tax apron era. He’s also coming off foot surgery that ended his season in January, but Johnson reports that LaVine is healthy and going through his typical offseason routine after having beaten the estimated recovery timeline of four-to-six months following his procedure.

The Bulls have presented “upwards of 15” LaVine trade proposals to various teams this offseason, according to Johnson, who hears that the Kings and Golden State have shown the most interest in the two-time All-Star. However, the Warriors‘ imminent additions of De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, and Kyle Anderson probably signal that they’re going in a different direction, Johnson acknowledges.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Speaking to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey said management is “doing a good job so far” in free agency adding players who will help the team win, adding that he was happy his willingness to wait a year for his own long-term contract helped Philadelphia open up enough cap room to land Paul George. “When we talked about it last year, it’s a trust thing,” Maxey said. “I trusted (the front office), and I feel like it worked out for us so far. It’s a cool deal. I wasn’t too worried about it.”
Rumors about a possible return to Europe continue to swirl around Sasha Vezenkov. According to Michalis Stefanou of Eurohoops, Vezenkov and his former EuroLeague team Olympiacos have agreed in principle on a lucrative long-term deal, but the 28-year-old forward remains under contract with the Raptors (with a $6.66MM cap hit in 2024/25), so his return to Greece would likely be contingent on negotiating a buyout with Toronto. Recent reporting indicated the Raptors expect Vezenkov to be with them in camp in the fall.
Ever since they agreed to an early version of the Mikal Bridges trade last week, the Knicks sought to expand it, making it clear to the Nets that they’d eventually circle back with more details, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. Now that New York has amended the Bridges deal to ensure its hard cap is at the second apron instead of the first apron, Katz explores what’s next for the team, suggesting that re-signing Precious Achiuwa and adding another player using the taxpayer mid-level exception should be doable, assuming Achiuwa’s price is modest enough.
Following up on news that the Bucks have agreed to sign Taurean Prince, Eric Nehm of The Athletic considers what the veteran forward will bring to Milwaukee, opining that Prince looks like a good fit for the roster and should see regular minutes next season.

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