Chicago Bulls: The most important free agent no one is talking about

An important note is LaVine’s major red flag…

Had he not torn his ACL in 2017, LaVine would be a very sought after talent on the market — even with all the big names floating around. It also doesn’t help that he suited up 24 times last season. Those factors make his value hard to gauge as well.

He is a freak of athleticism, but he didn’t shoot the rock well last season (38.3 percent from the floor, 34.1 percent from three). He is also a very subpar defender, leaning on his athleticism. Plus, there were moments last year where he did go into full chucker mode. This works in today’s NBA, where teams jack up as many triples as possible. Having a volume scorer on the roster usually helps a team win games.

Except when you start missing shots. At that point, it just gets ugly as there’s no offensive flow.

Should the Bulls find themselves picking between him and Nwaba, they need to really think carefully. Yes, LaVine was a big part of the Jimmy Butler deal. But consider the fact that Lauri Markkanen was really the prize. Smart money is that both are in Chicago this upcoming fall. Everyone is way too focused on landing James, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, etc. There simply won’t be enough money to go around.

Next: Bulls: 3 trade packages for Lonzo Ball

Luckily, that should all but ensure a guy, who no one talks about, will remain in Chicago.