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Flying feathers

There are a lot of substantive and weighty criticisms to be levied at the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise and its global juggernaut influence over drag culture.…

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A school full of song

The four years that young adults spend in high school are widely recognized as some of the most formative (and cringeworthy) years of their lives. It’s…

Sports

NBA free agency opens today: Will Zach LaVine get a maximum contract to re-sign with the Chicago Bulls?

Will Zach LaVine remain in Chicago next season? After weeks of wondering and worrying, Bulls fans finally are close to receiving an answer as NBA free agency officially opens Thursday evening.Teams may begin negotiating with players and their agents at 5 p.m. CDT, though free agents cannot sign new deals until July 7. AdvertisementThis is LaVine’s first offseason as an unrestricted free agent, which allows the two-time All-Star shooting guard to pursue a deal with any team. It’s also his first opportunity to seek a five-year maximum contract from the Bulls, which could top out at $215 million according to an ESPN report of a 10% salary-cap increase for next season.LaVine declined during his exit interview with media in April to make a hard commitment to re-signing with the Bulls, deferring all questions about his future to his agent. But he made it clear at the end of the season that he knows his worth — and won’t compromise to receive it.Advertisement“You get paid what you’re valued at and I see myself as a top guy in this league,” Lavine said after the Bulls were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round of the playoffs.His teammates echoed the sentiment, calling for LaVine to receive a maximum contract from the Bulls.“Max player, max talent, max everything,” DeMar DeRozan said after the Game 5 loss to the Bucks. “He’s one of those players in this league that you don’t see too often. I tell him all the time how envious I am of the things he’s able to do. He deserves everything that’s coming to him.”Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan (11) talks with teammate Zach LaVine (8) during a game against the Clippers at the United Center on March 31, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)The front office hasn’t publicly balked at these statements, and re-signing LaVine remains the clear offseason priority. The Bulls have a solid upper hand in their pursuit — they can offer LaVine more money than other team, and he openly enjoyed playing alongside DeRozan and other new teammates last season. After the NBA draft last week, general manager Marc Eversley said the Bulls have “every intention” to keep LaVine in Chicago, and executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas said Monday that the front office feels “confident” in its ability to reach a deal.June 28: Center Tony Bradley exercised his $2 million player option for the 2022-23 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.Free agents: Zach LaVine (unrestricted), Derrick Jones Jr. (unrestricted), Tristan Thompson (unrestricted), Troy Brown Jr. (restricted), Matt Thomas (restricted), Tyler Cook (restricted, two-way), Malcolm Hill (restricted, two-way)Under contract: Nikola Vučević (expires 2023), Coby White (2023), Javonte Green (2023), Ayo Dosunmu (2023), Tony Bradley (2023), DeMar DeRozan (2024), Patrick Williams (2024), Marko Simonović (2024), Lonzo Ball (2025), Alex Caruso (2025)AdvertisementChicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Eligible for extension: Vučević, White.June 30: Free-agency negotiations open at 5 p.m. CDT July 1: Signing moratorium begins, but teams can sign players to rookie, minimum and two-way contractsJuly 7: Signing moratorium ends and teams can begin making trades and signing playersJuly 7-17: NBA Summer League, Las VegasJuly 13: Last day to withdraw qualifying offers to free agentsAdvertisementAug. 31: Last day to waive players

Sports

Could site of a proposed Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights also include a minor-league baseball complex?

The Chicago Bears are making progress toward completing their purchase of Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights, officials say, with the clock ticking toward a deadline to seal the deal in 2023.Village documents obtained by the Tribune show the highest levels of the team’s administration, including Chairman George McCaskey, have been involved in meetings to make the purchase and subsequent construction of a new football stadium happen. The documents showed that the team deposited $125,000 with the village for studies of the stadium proposal, and they also included a former baseball executive’s proposal to add a minor league baseball complex to the site.AdvertisementIn September 2021, the team announced it had signed a purchase agreement to buy the property from Churchill Downs Inc. for $197 million, pending final approvals by both parties. Churchill Downs Inc. subsequently closed the famed racetrack. The Bears would have to break their lease at Soldier Field to build a new stadium at Arlington.[ [Don’t miss] The Arlington Heights Bears? Here’s what to know about the team’s possible move from Chicago’s Soldier Field. ]The new baseball fields were proposed by William Larsen, former general manager of the Kane County Cougars minor league team. In an email in February to Mayor Tom Hayes, Larsen wrote that the baseball fields would host four to six teams of undrafted college players.AdvertisementLarsen said he had no financial or other formal backing for the proposal, and hadn’t heard back from the Bears, but was told by scouts and others in professional baseball that there is a need for undrafted players to chase their dreams of playing professionally.“I might as well find out if they’re interested,” he said. “I knew it had a lot of potential.”He estimated 10 to 15 acres would be needed for the project on the 326-acre site, but did not cite any financing or backing for the deal.He guessed that the games could draw about 450,000 fans a year.The village forwarded the email to the Bears. Village officials would encourage the team to consider the idea, Hayes said, but it’s up to team officials to decide what to do with the site, within the village’s parameters. Meanwhile, village and team officials have continued meeting to discuss plans for the site, he said.Brandon Faber, Bears vice president of communications, didn’t comment on the baseball proposal, but said the team is still trying to see if the site will work for a football stadium.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 16Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, in Chicago on Sept. 29, 2021. The Chicago Bears have signed a purchase agreement for Arlington International Racecourse, a move that takes the team a step closer toward securing property for a new stadium and leaving their longtime home at Soldier Field. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)“We continue to work through the due diligence process on the Arlington Park property with our accomplished team of land use experts,” Faber said. “While significant progress has been made, we still must do extensive work and analysis to determine the viability of developing the site. Our expectation for a decision on whether we can purchase the property remains late 2022 or early 2023.”The village’s first recorded meeting with Bears representatives was Aug. 26, 2021, followed by meetings in October, February, March, April and June. Bears officials also agreed to attend training sessions this year on stadium security.AdvertisementThe October meeting at the village included McCaskey, Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips, and team attorney Cliff Stein, among others, village emails showed. Mayor Hayes, Village Manager Randy Recklaus and Director of Planning and Development Charles Perkins, among others, attended for the village.[ [Don’t miss] ‘One step at a time’: Chicago Bears remain in a waiting game for a potential new stadium in Arlington Heights ]Afternoon BriefingDailyChicago Tribune editors’ top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon.Hayes wouldn’t talk about specifics of the discussions, but said progress was speeding up due to the Bears’ deadline to finalize the deal by mid-2023.He confirmed that due to the size of the site, its plan likely would include mixed-use development featuring residential, commercial, retail and entertainment.“Things are moving quicker than they had been, as a result of the timeline the Bears are working under,” Hayes said. ”We have been working together with the team to meet their needs and our needs, and things are progressing. We’re doing all we can to make this a reality.”The Bears also deposited $125,000 with the village to pay for necessary consultant studies that the village would conduct regarding the proposal, Recklaus said.Such payments are not uncommon for projects that may require the hiring of a consultant for studies of traffic, security, crowd control or other issues, Recklaus said. A similar arrangement took place when studies were conducted before the former Sheraton Hotel near Arlington Park became apartments known as Arlington Downs. The village hasn’t conducted any such studies for the Bears yet.AdvertisementIn March, the team announced it had hired Manica Architecture, which designed the Las Vegas Raiders’ new stadium. The team also hired stadium development manager CAA Icon and real estate investment firm Jones Lang LaSalle to work on the proposal.rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com