Less than a month from now, the Chicago Bulls will be on the clock with the no. 18 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Shortly thereafter, the NBA free agency madness begins. We may be a few weeks away from free agency, but the rumors have already begun.
There is no bigger story in Chicago, this summer, than the whereabouts of Zach LaVine at the end of free agency.
LaVine can stay in Chicago and make upwards of $210+ million on a max deal. If he left to sign somewhere else, LaVine would only make roughly $150 million. So, why on earth would he want to leave?
There is no easy or short answer there. While rumors swirl, we can only assume that LaVine is going to take his time and enjoy free agency, ultimately making the best decision for him.
Recently, there have been some select teams mentioned in connection to Chicago Bulls free agent guard Zach LaVine.
Chicago sports fans all over the world have seen, heard, read and watched plenty of national media chime in on their teams over the last couple of years and for various reasons. Now, they are not always right, even though many members of the media have been given the “expert” label.
Remember last year, when DeMar DeRozan signing in Chicago was labeled the worst offseason move?
That didn’t work out so well. However, there are some more rumors surfacing within the national media this week — and Bulls fans should definitely pay attention.
In a recent piece written by Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, LaVine’s free agency was addressed in a way that suggests there could be a few specific teams lining up to make a move or two in order to land the Chicago guard in free agency.
Along with a couple of those teams, there is another one that’s been in the rumor mill as of late, too. Three particular teams could be getting ready to make a move for LaVine, and have all been linked to him as of late.
Chicago Bulls free agent Zach LaVine has been connected to the Atlanta Hawks
The first team mentioned by Fischer as a possible LaVine destination is the Atlanta Hawks. Now, the Hawks wouldn’t be able to sign LaVine outright. But, they have already done their due diligence on moving some of their other players in order to change things up a little bit.
In Fischer’s piece on B/R, he wrote:
"”League sources told B/R Atlanta already explored Collins, Huerter and Gallinari trade conversations prior to February’s deadline.”"
Atlanta moved Cam Reddish last year (for peanuts, too) and were apparently looking to blow it up and surround All Star point guard Trae Young with a different level of talent. While it looked like the Hawks could be going into rebuild mode, they ended up making the play-in tournament and could just be a few moves away from contention.
Should the Hawks look to make a move for LaVine, one possible trade with the Bulls could see Chicago take back players like Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari, along with a first-round pick.
Another deal would see the Bulls acquire John Collins, which would be both an interesting and puzzling trade. Then, the Bulls would have to figure out what to do with Patrick Williams.
Chicago Bulls free agent Zach LaVine has been connected to the Portland Trail Blazers
Another team mentioned as a LaVine suitor is the Portland Trail Blazers, and they do make a ton of sense for the Bulls All Star. Fischer writes:
"“Portland is most often mentioned as a top LaVine suitor. LaVine is a Seattle native, just a few hours’ drive north of the Trail Blazers’ facilities, and shares a relationship with Damian Lillard from their Team USA days.”"
LaVine is originally from Seattle, which makes sense that he would want to play closer to family. In addition, Portland is the only team that would currently have enough cap space to sign LaVine to a max deal without having to make any additional moves in preparation.
The question is, does this move make sense for Portland? They would be just one year removed from trading CJ McCollum and signing another scoring guard to take his place. LaVine might move the needle a bit in comparison to McCollum, but this is a team that would still need some more help if they were to make a push in the West.
Compared to a healthy Bulls team, the Blazers aren’t exactly up there in terms of competitiveness. If it were between the Bulls and Blazers, LaVine would likely stay in Chciago.
Chicago Bulls free agent Zach LaVine has been connected to the Los Angeles Lakers
Of course, the most mentioned destination for LaVine as of late is the Los Angeles Lakers. And, it hardly makes sense on the surface.
It all started when LaVar Ball opened his mouth and told David Kaplan that he believes LaVine is “gone,” and that he thinks the free agent guard is headed to the Lakers because of his West coast ties.
Unlike the aforementioned Blazers, the Lakers cannot currently sign LaVine without doing a whole lot of work first. Los Angeles would have to trade a few key players in order to open up enough cap space to sign LaVine. First, they would have to move both Kendrick Nunn and Talen Horton-Tucker.
Sure, those guys might be simple enough to move. But, beyond them, the Lakers would also have to deal Russell Westbrook who is coming off an abysmal season — and his contract is not exactly a friendly one.
If the Lakers can move all three of those guys, then yeah, LaVine makes sense alongside LeBron James as another scoring threat. If Anthony Davis were to stay healthy, then maybe Los Angeles has a better shot at a title next year with LaVine on board.