Chicago Bulls: Poll shows fans’ split opinions on paying Zach LaVine

We recently polled several fans and asked them how much they would be comfortable with Zach LaVine making if he returned to the Chicago Bulls.

Recently, we went out and polled a number of Chicago Bulls fans in order to get their thoughts on the team bringing back Zach LaVine. Obviously, this has been one of the hot topics amongst Chicago sports fans lately, and we could see an end result happen as soon as Sunday.

The madness is set to begin, officially, on July 1st. The Bulls could offer LaVine over $20 million per year, if they so choose — even up to $25 million. To keep it simple, we broke up our poll into four easy categories.

Here are the final results on a per-year basis:

$5-$10 million: 7 percent

$11-$15 million: 49 percent

$16-$20 million: 41 percent

$21-plus million: 3 percent

More from Chicago Bulls

• Chicago Bulls’ winning ways proves Billy Donovan’s system works
• Chicago Bulls News: Coby White is that dude
• Chicago Bulls’ recent success means big trades make sense
• The Chicago Bulls seem to have a major Zach LaVine problem.
• No Zach, no DeMar, no problem? Chicago Bulls stun the Bucks in OT

It’s clear that the majority of fans are happy with LaVine returning, as the percentage of people who voted on the lowest end would have been much greater if that was not the case. But, a good chunk of fans are of the opinion that LaVine is worth as much as $20 million per year — that’s a bit too high for my liking.

For the record, I would have voted with the majority. I don’t see it as a wise move to pay LaVine over $15 million per year. If it went over that number, I’d much rather see the Bull completely abstain from free agency for the most part. Stick with the current roster, maybe make one or two minor tweaks, and let this next season play out.

While $15 million per year sounds about right, the Bulls may not get that lucky. Already, the Sacramento Kings are said to be very interested in LaVine and could offer him upwards of $20 million annually. If John Paxson is smart (which most of us have questioned on a seasonal basis) he would allow LaVine to head over to Sacramento for that price.

Other teams rumored to be interested are the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers. The Lakers may be a long shot since they likely won’t strike out on the upper echelon of free agents. I do wonder about the Pacers’ rumored interest, though, after seeing Victor Oladipo break out this past season.

Next: Bulls: 5 storylines heading into free agency

Whatever the Bulls do, it is clear that their fans do not want them to overpay for LaVine, and for good reason. A kid coming off an inconsistent showing, within a season cut short due to recovery from an ACL tear, is not someone I would call a $20 million player.