Chicago Bulls: 4 players to keep around for long haul

1. Guard Zach LaVine

A couple of years ago, the Chicago Bulls decided to match the offer sheet signed by Zach LaVine and the Sacramento Kings. That 4-year deal worth $78 million, at the time, didn’t sit all that well with me. I will admit, I wasn’t sold on the outlook of LaVine with the Bulls. The move seemed like a move of desperation; a move which looked as though the Bulls won a consolation prize instead of the gold medal.

Fast forward, and I am fully on board with LaVine in Chicago. I understand his contract is extremely tradable, and that there are always some kind of whispers of LaVine being moved. But, at this stage, I think the Bulls would be wise to hang onto him.

LaVine has really come into his own as a prolific scoring option. He is everything you want in a guy who is the second-best player on your team. As the Bulls’ best player, he’s done a very solid job of taking on that responsibility.

Going forward, I think if the Bulls somehow ended up with a superstar via free agency, LaVine would perfectly play the role of Robin to that future Batman. This past season, he very well could have been an All Star with the type of numbers he was posting.

If he is just now hitting his stride at 25 years old, imagine what he could do with just a little more talent around him and the push to become even a halfway-decent defensive player. LaVine should be here for a while.