Chicago Bulls: Winners and losers of the Zach LaVine deal
Winner: The Chicago Bulls retained their young core
You can rag on the front office for their decision to match the King’s offer. Perhaps it was made out of justifying the Butler deal. Maybe it was because they believe that LaVine could match his pre-ACL tear production. Either way, a commitment was made to keep the already young and athletic group together.
More from Da Windy City
- 3 takeaways from Chicago Blackhawks shootout loss to Nashville
- Chicago Cubs in the middle of chaos that is Shohei Ohtani’s free agency
- The Chicago Cubs are on a roller coaster of emotions chasing Shohei Ohtani
- Chicago Bears quietly compiling list of head coaching candidates
- Chicago White Sox News: Erick Fedde signs two-year deal
It’s also worth noting that the Bulls have had bad free agency luck the last few years. Think what you may of bringing back LaVine at that price or the front office’s prior blunders. At least keeping a building block or a possible trade piece for a bigger fish provides them options.
LaVine claimed that not only is he excited about the money (as anyone should) but he is excited to be rejoining the Bulls core.
Ideally, LaVine can improve on his inaugural season in Chicago along with Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen. Conceivably, that could start Chicago down the right path to bringing in big-name free agents.
In any case, there will be more clarity based on the way the rest of the offseason and the upcoming season plays out. There’s a good chance the Bulls find themselves thanking the Kings. Conversely, they could see the opposite and have buyer’s remorse.