ZACH IS BACK.
Just as Bulls fans hoped, the Chicago Bulls’ two-time All-Star has reportedly agreed to keep his talents in Chicago.
All things considered, this seemed to be the intention of both LaVine and the Bulls even since last offseason. While the Bulls decided not to rework his contract to create an extension that would compare to what he could net this year in free agency, LaVine seemed to be onboard with the decision so the Bulls could add win-now assets. Chicago went on to add Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso in free agency, helping the franchise win its most games since the 2014-15 season.
LaVine got his first taste of playoff action earlier this year, and the Bulls have made clear since the offseason began that they hope to keep LaVine in town for many more postseasons to come. Now, they got their wish, and LaVine will be the foundational piece to an era of Bulls basketball the city can only hope is later described as a success.
To be honest, I don’t have much else to say on this. While things got a bit scary there in the early stages of the offseason, this always felt like a marriage we expected to last. LaVine has expressed nothing but love for the city of Chicago and the Bulls organization since he was acquired in 2017. He’s also embraced the face-of-the-franchise role – and all the criticism that comes alongside it – with open arms.
As someone who is just entering his prime at 27 years old and has two-straight All-Star selections under his belt, LaVine is the kind of talent a winning organization must invest in. The Bulls have done just that, and it’s now up to Arturas Karnisova and Marc Eversley to continue adding the right pieces around one of the NBA’s most elite scorers.