Agree To Contract Extension With Zach LaVine
Zach LaVine came to the Chicago Bulls in 2017 and immediately took the next step on the offensive end of the floor. Four years later, LaVine is now one of the top scorers in the league. His average has gone up every year he has been in Chicago. This season, LaVine is averaging 27.5 points per game while shooting 50.6% from the floor and 41.4% from three-point range.
It’s become apparent that Chicago has a superstar on their roster and need to make sure that he is around long-term. LaVine was one name thrown around in NBA trade rumors but it was smart for the Bulls to hang onto him. They are ‘all-in’ on him as a franchise player after deciding to acquire Nikola Vucevic at the NBA trade rumors, so getting something done with LaVine soon is a must.
The 26-year-old guard has shown that he can lead an offense and has been a big-game finisher. Zach LaVine will be a free agent following next season. It is important for the Bulls to sign him to an extension before the year begins. Chicago can facilitate a contract extension with him, but remember, he is making only $19.5 million and he cannot be offered more than 120 percent of his previous year’s salary — meaning the initial year of his deal would be capped off at $23.4 million.
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If Zach LaVine enters without a new deal, it would spur up all kinds of rumors come the NBA trade deadline. However, it’s just a matter of circumstances since LaVine would be eligible to earn roughly $34.7 million in the first year of his next deal if he were to wait to become a free agent before agreeing to a deal — making him waiting until next offseason almost a certainty. Especially since he can become eligible for the supermax if he were to manage to land on an All-NBA Team.
If the Bulls want to climb up the standings in the Eastern Conference, it is important to have those next-level players. LaVine is certainly one and with Donovan on the sideline, this will keep the Bulls heading in the right direction in the future. It’s likely this would not be something they can get done given the limitations, but it would make for a ‘perfect’ offseason if they were able to get it done.
