2. Other teams will be keeping tabs
While the Bulls will need to be careful with LaVine’s next contract, they’ll also need to be aware that some other teams could be willing to pounce this summer. Several teams already have a $36.6 million max slot available, which includes the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs.
While there’s uncertainty about how committed the Spurs’ front office is to offering LaVine a max deal, it’s painfully clear their All-Star wants his hometown friend to join him in the Alamo City. The Spurs have been treading water for the past three seasons, with a lack of star power being their biggest weakness as they finally came crashing to Earth after their long run atop the league. Adding LaVine would immediately boost their standing in the Western Conference.
Beyond the Spurs, there could be some threats in the Eastern Conference to poach LaVine. A team like the Orlando Magic has some nice pieces they could use to surround him, as do the Indiana Pacers.
There could even be some dark-horse teams that end up freeing cap space through moves this summer, but we probably won’t know more about that until after the NBA Draft on June 23rd. The bottom line is LaVine has already stated he’s “going into everything open-minded” this summer, and the more teams that might be interested, the more complicated this gets for the Bulls.