For a while, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Zach LaVine would sign an extension with the Chicago Bulls. Since the 2021 NBA trade deadline, the front office has committed to upgrading the roster and bringing in new talent around LaVine.
They spent lavishly acquiring Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso and things were going well until injuries hit the team. Ball and Caruso missed huge chunks of the season, which derailed the team’s success.
Once atop the Eastern Conference standings, Chicago barely held on to a spot outside of the NBA Play-In Tournament. It led to a meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs and they were handled easily, losing in five games.
Knowing what could be with the team, many would assume LaVine is a shoo-in to stay with the team. However, some of the upgrades could actually play a part in his departure from the franchise he has spent the last five seasons with.
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Some believe Zach LaVine could look to play elsewhere because of how things transpired throughout the season. The Chicago Bulls had a lot of fourth-quarter heroics, but the person normally leading that charge was DeRozan.
DeMar DeRozan would routinely go to work in the mid-post, scoring in bunches as the go-to option on offense. That left LaVine standing in the corner more often than not as a spot-up role player, not the focal point of the offense as expected.
While no division has been reported between the two All-Stars, it is something that many people have pointed to as a possible reason that LaVine is now expected to shop around and not instantly re-up with the Bulls.
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Luckily for the Chicago Bulls, there aren’t many teams that can offer Zach LaVine a max contract and the kind of role that he is looking for. The biggest threat to the Bulls is likely the San Antonio Spurs, who are within striking distance of a max deal and would be able to offer him the go-to, No. 1 role offensively that he seeks.
