Zach Lavine was very open about why he opted to sign a max extension with the Chicago Bulls, and he was impressed by the front office.
Zach Lavine was among the most sought-out players in this year’s free agency. Many teams were interested in him, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
But now that Zach Lavine and the Chicago Bulls have agreed to a five-year, $215 million deal extension, that is no longer the case. Klutch Sports made the announcement on Friday.
Lavine has long been the face of the Bulls organization, and last season, the team finally provided him with a potent supporting cast. He’s made the decision to permanently relocate to Windy City as a result.
Zach Lavine averaged 24.4 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from 3-point range, despite being constrained by a left knee injury that required surgery soon after the season concluded.
According to Shams Charania of the Athletic: NBA All-Star Zach LaVine has agreed to a five-year, $215.2 million maximum contract to return to the Chicago Bulls, with a player option in Year 5, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Zach Lavine recently talked about why he decided to sign a max extension with the Bulls. He said, ‘‘I went into the offseason with an open mind.”
He added, “Once I was able to meet with [Bulls general manager] Marc [Eversley] and [executive vice president of basketball operations] AK [Arturas Karnisovas] and they came to me with everything that I wanted, there was no other reason for me to go outside and look at any other teams.”
Zach Lavine was a part of the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Since then, the Bulls have been the team of Lavine.
He is the face of this franchise. Lavine has leveled up his game every season, and the franchise showed their trust in him by giving him a max extension.
Zach claimed that it would have been disrespectful if he had signed with another team. Lavine said, ‘‘I think that would have been, for me, disrespectful on my end because they gave me everything that I asked for.’’
He added, “Being able to come back as a cornerstone piece and allowing them to get some of my insights, some of my input in pretty much constructing the roster to help me and help us win was really big for me. Chicago is my home.’’
Zach Lavine wasn’t the most highly touted young player in the league. He was known for his ability to get to the rim and put up fancy dunks. He made a lot of fans through his dunks in the Dunk Competition.
The former UCLA player has made his way up the ranks and has cemented himself as one of the best shooting guards in the league. He has improved his mid-range and three-point shooting. Lavine is a three-level scorer, and that is a very great trait.
In the last two seasons, Zach Lavine has been an all-star. The Bulls have also gotten better every year, and now the team has provided Zach with other good players. The Bulls made a huge leap last season, and they are likely to continue that in the next season as well.
Zach further talked about the extension and said, “I was striving for it when I was on my rookie deal. It’s just who I am and what goals and what things I want to reach and how much better can we get as a team. But there’s no added pressure. [The contract is] just a compliment for a lot of hard work and showing what kind of player I am.’’
Later he talked about the injury that he sustained last season. It hampered his season, and he wasn’t able to play to his full potential. However, he has had the surgery and is getting better.
Zach said, “Just had a run-of-the-mill knee scope. I feel way better. I’ve been rehabbing, working out, playing, lifting, doing all the good stuff — and boring stuff, too.”
Read More:
Follow our dedicated NBA page for instant NBA news and updates