Zach LaVine has every reason to be a diva.
The Chicago Bulls have repeatedly failed to build a competitive product around the two-time All-Star. Additionally, they proceeded to throw his name into trade rumors almost immediately after signing him to a max deal that implied he was ther key building block. Does the 29-year-old deserve his own cluster of criticism for struggling to impact winning at a high level? Absolutely. But the Bulls’ front office is responsible for making a mess out of this situation, and they’re lucky it sounds like LaVine is willing to help them clean it up.
According to The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry, Zach LaVine has been nothing short of professional in the ramp-up to the regular season. Not only has he reportedly participated in optional minicamps with his new Bulls teammates, but he has seemingly assured the front office that he’ll buy into the franchise’s new direction.
“Now, there are legitimate questions of how LaVine fits on a team with young talent emerging,”Mayberry wrote. “But in offseason conversations with Bulls leadership, including coach Billy Donovan, LaVine has vowed not to overstep or stunt the development of younger players, according to a team source.”
First things first, for a lot more insight on Zach LaVine’s current relationship with the Chicago Bulls, I highly encourage you to read Mayberry’s article here. He highlights just how much LaVine has been a part of this summer.
Is Zach LaVine Ready to Make Amends?
Zach LaVine doesn’t often rock the boat. Aside from his one rebuff of a Bulls PR staffer last season, the scoring guard has largely evaded drama. Considering the never-ending trade rumors and significant offseason changes, however, many have questioned whether that could change. This is especially true when we consider his superstar agency. Klutch has built a reputation for getting what they want when they want. If that means stirring the pot either in the media or behind the scenes, so be it.
Nonetheless, this report suggest that LaVine nor Klutch is currently up to any antics. The fact LaVine has been a willing participant in normal offseason activities is undoubtedly a positive for the organization. The same can be said about his reported willingness to allow the development of younger players. Heck, the fact he’s already made an effort to meet with several of his teammates demonstrates that he may be prepared to play the role of a veteran leader.
Now, could everything change once the ball is tipped? Of course. The reality of another potentially wasted season could begin to set in for LaVine. Might this change how comfortable he is with letting the young players take some big shots? Could it increase his sense of urgency to find a winning environment? It’s all possible.
What LaVine may be realizing, though, is that ending up in the right environment is going to take work both on and off the floor. Opposing teams have already been hesitant to trade for the max player, so I think it’s fair to say being a locker room toxin or on-court ballhog would not change any minds. If both parties want to finally find a solution to this long-running issue, a communal effort is a must.
We also can’t ignore the other question that comes to mind when hearing an encouraging report like this: Could Zach LaVine and the Bulls save their marriage? I’d say the odds of that happening are somewhere near +1500. Chicago is pretty clearly embracing a youth movement that doesn’t appear to fit the $200+ million man. But we can never say never in the NBA.
LaVine projects to fit pretty darn well next to someone like Josh Giddey. The backcourt may be crowded when we also include Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, but the Bulls do have the guards to run an offense that makes a lot more sense around LaVine. Not to mention, both Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith are strong floor runners with the potential to play along the perimeter. Again, I wouldn’t bet that this season ends with LaVine back in the long-term plans, but I do think there is a situation where things look better than expected from a basketball standpoint. And that may make both sides rethink things (even if it probably shouldn’t).
Training camp begins officially on Oct. 1. Zach LaVine will presumably speak to reporters the day before at Media Day, as will the front office. If this is any indication, it seems like we may be in for little to know fireworks. We’ll see.