The last few weeks have been gut-wrenching for the Chicago Bulls and their fans. They have had to listen to numerous outlets discuss the possibility of Zach LaVine leaving this offseason in NBA free agency.
Chicago has done a great job upgrading the roster in the last year or so. They have added talent around LaVine, helping the team get back into the postseason this year for the first time since 2017. However, some of those moves were reportedly part of the reason that he had an eye toward free agency.
At times when DeMar DeRozan was carrying the offense, LaVine would be relegated to a complementary role, standing in the corner while DeRozan went to work in the mid-post. LaVine had been linked to a few teams, namely the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers.
It sounded like LaVine would take in free agency and the chances of him leaving the Windy City were increasing. However, that no longer seems to be the case.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Spurs Too Far From Contention To Appeal To Bulls’ Zach LaVine?
According to Jake Fischer in a recent NBA intel piece, it sounds as if LaVine won’t be going anywhere.
Two-time All-Star Zach LaVine is expected to re-sign with the Chicago Bulls once the free-agency negotiation period opens June 30, sources told B/R.
That noise you just heard was a sigh of relief by Bulls fans. Any time a team could lose their best player it is tough to deal with, but losing LaVine would have especially hurt in Chicago. He is as big of a reason as any that they have turned things around in recent seasons and losing him would have been a big blow.
Luckily, it doesn’t sound like they will have to deal with that. Re-signing LaVine at the onset of free agency will enable the front office to focus on other moves and upgrade the roster accordingly so that the Bulls are more competitive next season once the postseason rolls around.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Spurs Too Far From Contention To Appeal To Bulls’ Zach LaVine?
Better health would also be helpful, as multiple key players missed action throughout the season, derailing what was a promising campaign for the Bulls. LaVine missed 15 games himself in the regular season and one playoff game.
