As multiple reports have suggested, Zach LaVine’s run in Chicago could come to an end this summer.
After five seasons with the franchise, he is set to hit free agency soon and a return to the Bulls is no longer considered a guarantee:
A prominent topic of conversation this week has been Zach LaVine’s future. Opinion — some of it educated, some of it guesswork — is varied on what the Chicago Bulls’ two-time All-Star guard will do when he hits unrestricted free agency on July 1.
But this much is certain: His return to the Bulls no longer is considered the slam dunk it once was.
Whether that stems from LaVine’s own exit interview with local reporters in late April or a genuine belief he will leave the franchise that still can pay him the most is unknown. What’s certain is that league gossip throughout this week has linked LaVine to at least four teams — Lakers, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, Hawks — with almost certainly more to follow.
A number of teams have emerged as contenders to sign LaVine, but Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer added some extra pull towards the Atlanta Hawks, who have been desperately looking for a co-star to Trae Young:
Few teams outside of Chicago can offer LaVine both the maximum salary and the alpha dog scoring role he is said to covet, but sign-and-trade options could deliver him to any number of destinations…Along with Atlanta, Portland is most often mentioned as a top LaVine suitor.
The prospect of a Young/LaVine pairing is certainly intriguing. On paper, Young’s shooting expertise should make a nice pairing next to LaVine’s drive and slash playstyle. If the Haws can keep most of their core intact, adding Zach could be the move that makes them legitimate contenders.
Either way, it’s clear that the Hawks have some big ambitions this offseason. Just two years removed from their Conference Finals run, the team is eager to make a return and make the most of all that Trae Young gives them on a game-to-game basis.
