You know the offseason is close when free agency rumors begin swirling.
For the Bulls, that starts and ends with the unrestricted free agency of All-Star Zach LaVine.
After making the playoffs for the first time in his career and the first time since 2016-17 for the franchise, the Bulls can consider the 2021-22 season a success. The acquisitions of All-Star DeMar DeRozan, who had a career-season, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso, helped stack the deck for Chicago’s roster around the likes of LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Patrick Williams.
With the aggressive push that VP of Basketball Ops Arturas Karnisovas and GM Marc Eversley made to add talent around LaVine last summer, the trust and confidence between the two parties should be at an all-time high.
But, a deal is never done until the ink is dry. As Brian Windhorst of ESPN stated on “The Hoop Collective” podcast that there’s noise circulating that LaVine could be on the move.
“There’s now some belief that Zach could be in play, that what a lot of people thought was a forgone conclusion of Zach staying in Chicago on whatever deal was going to be may not be the case,” Windhorst said.
As the offseason approaches, Zach LaVine’s future in Chicago weighs in the balance. https://t.co/myftYOZNrA
— Lonzo Wire (@LonzoWire) May 4, 2022
Windhorst later mentioned on the podcast that the Portland Trail Blazers has “popped up” as a potential suitor for LaVine, though Portland would need to make several moves leading up to their pursuit of LaVine, like waive Josh Hart and renounce the rights to Jusuf Nurkic.
LaVine is slated to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, something he sounded excited about exploring during his exit interview following the first round loss to the Bucks.
“I plan to enjoy free agency with what it is as a whole. I think you’re going to have to experience A-Z without making any fast decisions,” LaVine said. “I think that’s something that me and Rich (Paul) get to go through and experience.”
On both sides of the coin, the Bulls and LaVine have a colossal decision to make in the coming months which will help navigate their future for years to come.
Stay tuned to Lonzo Wire for updates on LaVine’s free agency.
