NEWSLETTER
As July inches closer, the sentiment that unrestricted Bulls free agent Zach LaVine could be pried away from Chicago has only grown around the NBA, and long-time NBA reporter Marc Stein was the latest to echo past reports in a recent Spotify Live chat (h/t Bleacher Report):
“How gettable Zach LaVine is remains a matter of debate, although I will say around the league, I do get the sense from teams that do think he’s in play.”
Whether or not other teams believe LaVine could be had doesn’t really matter if LaVine has no plans on actually signing a different contract. And, as Stein notes, this has left the legitimacy of LaVine’s “gettability” (let’s pretend that’s a word) up in the air.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I think this is exactly the kind of conversation LaVine and his agents want to see. The more attractive LaVine appears to be in the open market, the more pressure will be on the Bulls to promptly fork over the full, undoctored max.
Speaking of which, I guess there could be a world where the Bulls’ hesitancy to do just that has played a role in LaVine’s surprisingly mysterious start to free agency. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor said on a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast that he heard the organization wasn’t immediately prepared to hand LaVine his money:
“With LaVine, I was told the Bulls were not initially offering the full max, and so there was actually negotiating happening. I think that’s changed, where the offer will be for the max. But, whether LaVine takes that or not, that remains to be seen.”
In my opinion, I think those words sound more interesting than they really are. Not only is it unclear when the Bulls weren’t ready to hand him the full max (was it before this season or during it?), but negotiations are part of the status quo. Chicago has the right to discuss terms just like LaVine has the right to strike fear in our eyes with a couple of wine and dine sessions. It’s all part of the process.
Also, all that matters currently is that O’Connor suggests they are prepared to go through with the max contract. Is it possible that even the insinuation that the organization wouldn’t go that far at some previous point left LaVine ticked off? I guess, but I think that might be reading too much into things. All recent reports seem to suggest the Bulls will do whatever it takes to keep him, so at this point it’s just up to whether LaVine, himself, still sees a future in Chicago.
For more of the latest rumors, check out our post from Wednesday:
Rumor Roundup: Karnisovas and LaVine, Constant Gobert Chatter, Turner Staying Put? Morehttps://t.co/cwMt0ZKDsZ pic.twitter.com/1NN2zQksNd
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) June 8, 2022
