Zach LaVine is one of the biggest names set to test the waters of free agency this year. He’s stated he has enjoyed his time in Chicago but hasn’t closed the door to a move away from Windy City, sparking rumors about his future with the 6-time NBA champions.
After a 2021/22 season where he played in the playoffs for the first time, LaVine could leave the organization, but Bulls fans are still hopeful that the shooting guard will return next campaign.
Well, somebody with good connections within the squad thinks that the young player is gone, simply because he doesn’t want to be a sidekick. LaVar Ball recently sat down with David Kaplan to talk about Lonzo Ball’s rehab and the future of the team.
Talking about LaVine’s impending free agency, the Ball family patriarch claimed that Zach is gone and he’s headed to Los Angeles after spending one season with DeMar DeRozan (27:26):
“He’s gone, and I’m gonna tell you why,” Ball said. “Okay, it started off Zach LaVine, Zach LaVine, Zach LaVine. Okay, now you get hurt, a few things happen, and guess who’s doing all the big plays? All I hear is DeMar. DeMar, DeMar, DeMar. He don’t want to play second fiddle, and who don’t want to go to L.A.? He want to go back to the West Coast.”
This is a bold claim, but this is LaVar just guessing, not giving any actual report of what will actually happen with LaVine this summer. Still, he’s not the only one who thinks the player can leave the Chicago Bulls organization this year, even if it’s not for the reasons Ball is citing.
The Bulls finally assembled a good team this campaign, and they need to bring more to finally be contenders. If Zach leaves the squad, that job will get a lot harder for them.
