One of the better players hitting free agency this summer in the NBA is Zach LaVine. The two-time All-Star is going to cash in, as he will likely be signing a max contract.
It seemed like a foregone conclusion that his next contract would be with the Chicago Bulls, the team whom he has spent the last five seasons with. Chicago spent a lot of money and assets upgrading the roster last season, resulting in their first playoff appearance since 2017.
Monetarily, it would make sense for LaVine to re-up with the Chicago Bulls. They can offer him a five-year contract worth up to $212.3 million, while other teams can offer a four-year deal worth up to $157.4 million.
LaVine was going to be a free agent, but no one believed he was actually available to be signed. He was essentially off the market, but that no longer seems to be the case. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on his Hoops Collective podcast, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding LaVine’s free agency.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Best & Worst Free Agency Landing Spots For Zach LaVine
There hasn’t been a concrete answer given either way, whether LaVine is leaving or staying, but recent comments that he has made have people questioning if he wants to remain in Chicago for the long haul.
“I plan to enjoy free agency,” he told reporters. “We’re going to have to experience A through Z without making any fast decisions. I think that’s something me and [agent Rich Paul] are going to go through and experience.”
There are plenty of teams that would love to add LaVine to the mix. The San Antonio Spurs are one team that has been mentioned. Windhorst shared that one team has popped as a LaVine landing spot during discussions he has had; the Portland Trail Blazers.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Best & Worst Free Agency Landing Spots For Zach LaVine
Portland is a team to keep an eye on this offseason as they could have a lot of cap space to work with. With some renouncing of players to remove their cap holds, Portland could have more than $48 million in cap space to use this offseason.
That would put them squarely in the conversation for a player such as LaVine, as they would have more than enough space to offer him a max deal. With grand plans of rebuilding the roster around Damian Lillard, you can expect the Portland Trail Blazers to be aggressively chasing players at the top of the market.
Pairing Zach LaVine with Damian Lillard would provide Portland with an excellent offensive duo to build around in the backcourt. If that sounds familiar, that is because it is, as the Portland Trail Blazers did the same thing with Lillard and CJ McCollum for years.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Best & Worst Free Agency Landing Spots For Zach LaVine
Zach LaVine is younger than CJ McCollum and offers a little more size in the backcourt, but his defensive shortcomings would present similar issues to overcome. But, this is a team that needs talent in the worst way, so they aren’t going to turn down the opportunity to add a two-time All-Star to the mix and figure out how things can work after.
