Zach LaVine enters free agency ‘open-eyed’ as the Chicago Bulls chase continuity: ‘My time here has been great’

Zach LaVine isn’t showing his hand as he approaches his first summer as an unrestricted free agent.

After playing eight years without choosing his team, the Chicago Bulls guard emphasized the importance of hearing out every offer when he hits the open market this offseason. After five years as the frontman of the Bulls, LaVine couldn’t commit to a return to Chicago next season.

“I hope everybody understands how much I care about the Bulls and what I’ve done for the city,” LaVine said. “I’m going into everything open-minded but understand that my time here has been great. We’ll see what the future holds.”

Consistency is a key for the Bulls in this offseason. Artūras Karnišovas and coach Billy Donovan both set a goal to retain the core group of the roster for the 2022-23 season, emphasizing the importance of building a culture of success over multiple seasons.

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Although other stars like DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball are locked down, LaVine is the missing piece of the puzzle — and maybe the most important. Despite LaVine’s open options, Karnišovas said he’s confident the Bulls can retain their star.

“He knows exactly what to expect here,” Karnišovas said. “We have a really good relationship with him. The last two years have been the best years of his career.”

This season ended in frustration for LaVine, who delivered his exit interview to the media via Zoom while awaiting his final test results to clear COVID protocol.

LaVine was sidelined for the Bulls’ final game of their 4-1 playoff series loss against the Milwaukee Bucks after playing through pain in his knee for most of the season. His first priority this summer will be revisiting a specialist in Los Angeles to examine options, which could include another round of injections or surgery.

But despite spending most of the season “putting my team before myself,” LaVine still averaged 24.4 points and 4.5 assists in one of the most prolific seasons of his career.

Now eligible for a maximum contract, LaVine believes he’s proven his worth around the league.

“You get paid what you’re valued at and I see myself as a top guy in this league,” he said.

This summer will likely be a whirlwind of rumors as LaVine meets with other teams around the league.

That chaos has already started after Dejounte Murray — a fellow Seattle native and longtime friend of LaVine — briefly posted a photoshopped picture of LaVine in a San Antonio Spurs jersey on Thursday before taking it down. LaVine shot down any rumors that Murray’s post could be linked with a San Antonio move.

“He was just messing with people,” LaVine said with a laugh. “He’s a free soul.”

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The Bulls have plenty of advantages on their side. They can pay LaVine the most money out of any team in the NBA and can offer him the stability of a fifth-year extension. Bulls owner Michael Reinsdorf previously stated his readiness to incur the luxury tax — the highest $20 million threshold on spending in the league, which many teams don’t surpass — if necessary to chase a championship. And DeRozan’s arrival offered LaVine a true winning partner, on and off the court, for the first time in his career.

But after playing in only four playoff games in eight seasons on underperforming rosters, LaVine has made it clear this summer will be his opportunity to finally make his own path in the league — even if that means staying in Chicago.

“I’ve been here for the past five years. I have to do this as a business decision, as a man, just to not be viewing it one way,” LaVine said. “It’s unrestricted free agency. For my family, for me, I have to go and look at this as a decision where I have to be open-eyed. I have to make my list and talk to everybody.”