The Chicago Bulls have officially announced that Zach LaVine underwent successful left knee surgery.
The two-time All-Star had the procedure done in Los Angeles, and he is expected to make a full recovery.
Injury Update: Zach LaVine underwent successful left knee arthroscopic surgery on today at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles.
LaVine is expected to make a full recovery.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 24, 2022
LaVine’s knee issues first came to light in the January 14th contest against the Golden State Warriors. The Bulls’ star player checked himself out of the game and walked to the locker room under his own power after a little over three minutes of action.
LaVine went on to miss five-straight games due to discomfort in that left knee, and he even flew to meet with his specialist to reportedly receive treatment before competing in the All-Star Weekend festivities. LaVine chose to play the remainder of the regular season, describing the midseason therapy as a “Band-Aid” that would allow for him to deal with the larger issue at a later day. He has now addressed that very issue and remains one of the most coveted players on the free-agent market.
For what it’s worth, NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson shared that multiple Bulls executives are in California and have been in “close contact” with LaVine throughout this process.
Zach LaVine underwent surgery on his left knee on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Chicago Bulls executives are in Los Angeles to attend various agency pro days in advance of next month's NBA Draft and were in close contact with the two-time All-Star guard.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) May 24, 2022
The expectation is this surgery will help LaVine return to 100 percent before the start of the 2022-23 season. Where exactly that will be, however, (technically) remains up in the air. While most reasonable signs would point to LaVine staying in Chicago to continue building a contender, there has been plenty of speculation as free agency nears.
For more on all of that, here are some posts from earlier today…
More Reports, More Questions Surrounding Zach LaVine’s Free Agencyhttps://t.co/sGD9oy5rKH pic.twitter.com/e062Wqrwy7
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 24, 2022
“I’ve Always Been a Big Fan” – Zach LaVine on the Lakers, When Forced to Say Something Nice About the Lakershttps://t.co/UvInlEuu3p pic.twitter.com/MqyvXxoY92
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 24, 2022