Zach LaVine’s recent drama with the Chicago Bulls is a matter of public record at this point.
He seems to be clashing teammates and team officials alike.
That in turn has led to an obvious question arising: why did LaVine remain with the Bulls this summer? Particularly when it was readily apparent to many observers that he didn’t actually want to stay in Chicago.
Lonzo Ball’s dad, LaVar, expressly said that during LaVine’s free agency process. It wasn’t a secret.
So if everyone knew LaVine wanted to move on, why did he stay?
This week, an answer emerged.
“LaVine never chose Chicago,” an NBA source told Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
“He was traded there and had his offer sheet [from the Sacramento Kings in 2018] matched. He wasn’t going to turn away $215 million from the Bulls. No one else had that kind of money to offer.”
Yikes.
So essentially, LaVine opted to remain a Bull because nobody else would give him that much money. That’s not great.
“Zach’s contract was one of those deals that immediately became an eyesore the moment he signed it,” the source continued. “He’s just not that healthy. I don’t know that the Bulls have a real market for him.”
At one point last year, when LaVine was playing the best basketball of his career (in a contract year, obviously), four teams seemed legitimately interested in acquiring his services.
But that was last season. When he was playing significantly better ball than he is now, and when he looked a lot healthier than he does now.
Whether any of that interest remains is unclear.
Tom Brady’s special lady friend is already married. To another athlete, no less. https://t.co/cVBiEkpG5S
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 22, 2022
The situation between LaVine and the Bulls looks pretty untenable at the moment, but it is hard to see them easily being able to unburden themselves of his deal.
If the Bulls make a trade any time soon, it likely won’t be for LaVine.
Stay tuned. What moves Chicago makes from this point forward will have massive ramifications on not only this season, but also the franchise’s short-term future.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
