Zach LaVine was finally able to compete with the Chicago Bulls this season. The six-time NBA champions made some interesting moves in the last year, adding interesting pieces like DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso. These players made an instant impact, helping LaVine take this team to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
The shooting guard found himself in a good position for the first time in his career, and even though the Milwaukee Bucks easily beat Chicago in the first round of the 2022 playoffs, LaVine likes the direction where the team is going and would like to run it back next year.
However, he’s not closing the door to other options. LaVine is entering free agency this offseason and nothing is certain about his future. Although he’s loved his time in Chicago, he’s open to new opportunities in the association. The Chicago Bulls’ official Twitter account shared a couple of tweets of Zach explaining his mindset now that he’s entering the free market.
Zach on free agency: "I understand the relationship I've had with AK and the last five years here, I hope the city understands how much I care about the Bulls. I'm going into everything open-minded but knowing how much I've enjoyed my time here." pic.twitter.com/85OhzBkPBv
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 29, 2022
“I understand the relationship I’ve had with AK [Arturas Karnisovas] and the last five years here, I hope the city understands how much I care about the Bulls. I’m going into everything open-minded but knowing how much I’ve enjoyed my time here.”
Still, LaVine praised the organization for the good moves they made in recent times, admitting that this year felt a lot better than the ones prior and the group the front office put together was special.
Zach on the offseason moves giving him confidence in the org: "It was huge, getting a guy like Vooch at the deadline… getting a guy like DeMar, Zo & AC, bringing those guys is huge. This year has been incredible… I thought it'd be a special year & it was a special group." pic.twitter.com/Q3dC3Ecbx3
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 29, 2022
“It was huge, getting a guy like Vooch at the deadline… getting a guy like DeMar, Zo and AC, bringing those guys is huge. This year has been incredible… I thought it’d be a special year & it was a special group.”
After a good season where he proved he can be part of a winning team, LaVine earned a lot of respect from people who didn’t believe in him before. Indeed, he had the help of DeRozan, Vucevic and more, but this man proved once again that he’s a special talent.
It remains to be seen what the Bulls can do to take a step further next season, but they’re looking very promising on paper.
