Should the Chicago Bulls pay or trade Zach LaVine?
NBA Rumors: Zach LaVine is slated to hit the restricted free agent market this summer, but should the Chicago Bulls pay or trade him?
Cameron Payne and Kris Dunn might be more important moving forward into the next season than the upcoming contract extension of Zach LaVine this summer.
The Chicago Bulls have an interesting and important decision to make this summer, and it’s pretty simple. Should they pay or (sign and) trade Zach LaVine, who is expected to demand a max contract on the open market?
LaVine is one of the most athletic players in the game, and has improved every season. During the second half of this season, LaVine averaged 17 points, four rebounds and three assists per game. More often than not, he looked like the best team on the roster.
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However, there’s no denying that paying him big money would be a big risk with his injury history. He missed the second half of last season and the first half of this season while recovering from a major knee injury.
The alternative to signing LaVine to a big contract this summer is potentially a sign-and-trade to a team that is interested in paying him that big contract.
While LaVine has shown flashes of excellence, he also has a tendency to drive and elevate even if there is no shot, and often he makes bad decisions.
LaVine wouldn’t be eligible to be moved at the NBA Draft, so it would have to come days into free agency. The Bulls likely won’t be able to get much in a potential sign-and-trade, but it could be better than nothing.
Zach LaVine has already had one major knee injury recently, and we all know this franchise hasn’t had the best of luck when it comes to paying big money to stars with knee issues.