Zach LaVine was undoubtedly acrimonious after watching his Chicago Bulls enter battle without him. As Chicago’s season teetered, the high-flying guard was forced to miss Game 5 due to Health and Safety protocols. With one of Chicago’s biggest offensive guns sitting on the sidelines, they were ushered from the postseason.
While ultimately proud of how far they’ve come, Chicago’s momentum and championship aspirations could fall by the wayside if LaVine opts to swap jerseys this offseason.
Currently, the former two-time All-Star is set to hit the open market in free agency. Although he could opt to remain in Windy City by signing an extension worth over $200 million, the allure of the warm weather and bright Laker lights could push him in another direction.
Recently, TMZ Sports caught up with LaVine where the all-world talent professed his love of Los Angeles and how big of a fan he’s always been of the purple and gold. In addition to LaVine’s words, LaVar Ball is convinced that LaVine will ditch Chicago and make his way to LA, making his way for undrafted son, LiAngelo Ball, an unproven player who LaVar believes is better than LaVine in all aspects of the game.
Despite the constant smoke pellets that have been hurled by LaVine, one NBA exec simply isn’t buying it.
“Business as usual,” one Eastern Conference general manager said. “The Bulls can give him more money. They can give him a chance to go to the playoffs every year. If he is not the No. 1 option, he is 1A and that is going to be the case in just about any place he goes if he is serious about leaving. Portland is out there as a possibility for him, and if he leaves, that is the only place where it would make any sense. But would he shoot more than Damian Lillard there? Of course not. It’s a lateral move or even a step down a bit.”
Zach LaVine drama just smoke and mirrors?
Although fans have grown to love LaVine and the 24.4 points per game he’s supplied throughout his Bulls tenure, the former dunk champion has a relatively low profile. That, however, has now changed.
The normally soft-spoken guard has become the talk of the town, as various teams from around the league, along with their fanbases, have attempted to decipher what all of the bombastic noise surrounding him could mean. In the mind of one league source, they are simply providing LaVine with a higher platform to garner even more attention.
“A lot of this is coming from the agents, where they want to not only get him paid but raise his profile at the same time,” one league source told Heavy.com. “That is their M.O. The more drama in the process, the better. No one was talking about Zach. Now everyone is. Mission accomplished.”
Whether LaVine’s current situation is all smoke and mirrors, fans of the Chicago franchise will be forced to sit on pins and needles for the next few months until free agency officially opens.