Wiretap: Bulls Hope To Re-Sign Zach LaVine At $14M-$16M

[Chitownbulls]

Bulls better keep LaVine....guy hasn't even reached his prime yet! In fact, he's probably 2-3years from it.

If we lose LaVine, this rebuild just got years longer.

[ATRAIN53]

I'm sure they do but he's gonna get more than 16 mil per in offers.

14 million wouldn't even make him highest paid guy on the team this year!

[Truebiscuit]

Buddy Hield is better than anyone on the Bulls going forward, other than ‘maybe’ Lauri/Carter, and he’s on the bench.

LaVine is a bad basketball player, and won’t get more than 12-13 from anyone

He’s going to be a terrible contract on the Bulls for years to come

Hield has a career PER of 14; Lavine's is 13.5. Hield is a better defender, though, and older.

We can only go by post injury LaVine at this point

He’s not good, post injury. Whether that changes, i wouldn’t put salary on it

Did you watch him at all? Shot over 40% from 3 his first two months back before his legs fatigued and he was shut down.

[Betta Bulleavit]

I think LaVine has reached the point of being underrated. This is not in the sense of what he did last season (which wasn't good), but what he's capable of going forward. I have a limit of what I'd be cool with on money, but the way most talk about him it's like he's not capable of improving at anything.

He's not lacking in tools or work ethic to do the things that fans want. It's more of a willingness to understand the game better and incorporate more efficiency.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

I think the biggest thing with Lavine (in what we saw of him last year) was that there was no noticeable improvement in areas of his game that we know he needs to improve AND the fact that his shot was rusty.

Having said that, I have a good deal of faith that he will relocate his shot. And I believe that a full (healthy) off season should do him a lot of good in terms of improving on some of the less tangible aspects of his game.

That makes sense though because LaVine was training to return from an ACL injury. It's kind of difficult to do that while also improving certain parts of your game. You're more focused on moving the way you used to and having the confidence to plant, cut, and take contact.



Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Exactly. I've often said that I feel like the Bulls were more interested in seeing where he was physically than skill wise. I believe they are comfortable with his skill and fully expect for skill development to be a more prominent goal for this off season.

[BoogieTime]

Buddy Hield is better than anyone on the Bulls going forward, other than ‘maybe’ Lauri/Carter, and he’s on the bench.

You can remove the “maybe” from that sentence. Then add another sentence and say “maybe” Lavine, Dunn, and Valentine, because he’s yet to establish that he’s significantly better than any of them. Lopez is also better than him.

We’ll see. I think towards the end of last season, the way he was improving on both ends, that Kings fans think he can be a super efficient 18/5/3 quality starting SG for many years

Which is why the notion of this is offensive on its face

Kings have 2 SGs they believe in now

[MisterRoy]

Bulls better keep LaVine....guy hasn't even reached his prime yet! In fact, he's probably 2-3years from it.

If we lose LaVine, this rebuild just got years longer.

They are going to sign him. I wouldn't lose any sleep over this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Red8911]

Read on Twitter

Sign and trade Lavine for their pick. Bulls should really consider doing something like this to get a higher pick this way instead of trying to lose games all year. Obviously might take giving up another player or pick maybe but imo it’s something they should do. Then can always sign Smart/Hood/ Barton or whoever else they want from free agency to fill in Lavines spot.

Their pick is already going to Boston.

O wow so that puts a big hole in my logic. No pick no bueno. The next attractive players they got are Heild and Fox but nothing to go crazy over.

[holv03]

I am one of the only ones not worry about Lavine. I believe that he will sign with the Bulls for somewhere around 16m-18m a year. I expect him to have a breakout season also. Lavine keeps showing that he wants to be a Chicago Bull for the future. I don't see him going anywhere.

[Hangtime84]

I am one of the only ones not worry about Lavine. I believe that he will sign with the Bulls for somewhere around 16m-18m a year. I expect him to have a breakout season also. Lavine keeps showing that he wants to be a Chicago Bull for the future. I don't see him going anywhere.

If anything Chicago has embraced him he wants his young peers here

[MisterRoy]

I am one of the only ones not worry about Lavine. I believe that he will sign with the Bulls for somewhere around 16m-18m a year. I expect him to have a breakout season also. Lavine keeps showing that he wants to be a Chicago Bull for the future. I don't see him going anywhere.

This.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[TheJordanRule]

I wouldn't give Exum anything big. Way too deep an injury history. If LaVine walks, I'm starting Valentine and riding into the season.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Valentine simply doesn’t have the athleticism to keep up at the starter level. He fits the Super Sub mold with his three point shooting and distribution abilities but he will struggle on offense and defense at the starter level. I feel like you’re sleeping on Exum along with almost everyone else. Hear me out. IMO Exum has less injury concerns than Zach because Exum was a plus player on both sides of the ball last year and has slightly bigger tools. Exam has already demonstrated that he can realize some of his potential, which indicates he’s trending up. Zach on the other hand was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Zach doesn’t know what it’s like to be a plus player on either end.

Exam played 17 minutes a game for 14 games in the regular season last year, for a total of 235 minutes. He was decent, but then he was horrible again in the playoffs. He's a career 7.5 PER player. He's also played 80 games in the past 3 seasons. Throwing big money at a guy because of a 14 game sample size would be exactly how to screw up a rebuild.

I'm not super high on LaVine either, but I think a short term contract is easily the best for both sides. 1 or 2+1. Money doesn't really matter as long as it doesn't go into the 20s. (obviously I don't hes worth 20 or anything near it based on past play, I just don't think 3-5 million a year hurts us that much if it's a short contract.

Trust me CBS7, paying a trash player like Zach 19 mil per year for a 2 + 1 contract would hurt us. That effectively wipes out our free agency next season, an off season when the market will be deeper than its been in recent years. That extra 5-8 million would at worst go towards a quality rotation piece but also may be the difference between landing a full boat FA and signing a 7th/8th man.

I’ll certainly admit that Exum has had his share of health problems, CBS7. However, Exum’s defense has been good since last year. When you’re looking at a guy with freakish tools who already has it going on defense, you gotta strike quickly when the offense trends up too. Especially since Exum’s offense is multifaceted, with excellent penetration and dish and excellent penetration and finishing abilities. Plus, the numbers in terms of minutes per game are deceptive. Exum’s competition has been Rubio and Mitchell, who are high quality starters at their positions. Zach was fighting off 8th and 9th man level SGs and barely managed 6th man level of production.

You seem more reasonable than the typical Zach homer. Our views might not be that far apart.

[Pnjguy]

Trust me CBS7, paying a trash player like Zach 19 mil per year for a 2 + 1 contract would hurt us. That effectively wipes out our free agency next season, an off season when the market will be deeper than its been in recent years. That extra 5-8 million would at worst go towards a quality rotation piece but also may be the difference between landing a full boat FA and signing a 7th/8th man.

This is demonstrably false.

[Betta Bulleavit]

Valentine simply doesn’t have the athleticism to keep up at the starter level. He fits the Super Sub mold with his three point shooting and distribution abilities but he will struggle on offense and defense at the starter level. I feel like you’re sleeping on Exum along with almost everyone else. Hear me out. IMO Exum has less injury concerns than Zach because Exum was a plus player on both sides of the ball last year and has slightly bigger tools. Exam has already demonstrated that he can realize some of his potential, which indicates he’s trending up. Zach on the other hand was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Zach doesn’t know what it’s like to be a plus player on either end.

Exam played 17 minutes a game for 14 games in the regular season last year, for a total of 235 minutes. He was decent, but then he was horrible again in the playoffs. He's a career 7.5 PER player. He's also played 80 games in the past 3 seasons. Throwing big money at a guy because of a 14 game sample size would be exactly how to screw up a rebuild.

I'm not super high on LaVine either, but I think a short term contract is easily the best for both sides. 1 or 2+1. Money doesn't really matter as long as it doesn't go into the 20s. (obviously I don't hes worth 20 or anything near it based on past play, I just don't think 3-5 million a year hurts us that much if it's a short contract.

Trust me CBS7, paying a trash player like Zach 19 mil per year for a 2 + 1 contract would hurt us. That effectively wipes out our free agency next season, an off season when the market will be deeper than its been in recent years. That extra 5-8 million would at worst go towards a quality rotation piece but also may be the difference between landing a full boat FA and signing a 7th/8th man.

I’ll certainly admit that Exum has had his share of health problems, CBS7. However, Exum’s defense has been good since last year. When you’re looking at a guy with freakish tools who already has it going on defense, you gotta strike quickly when the offense trends up too. Especially since Exum’s offense is multifaceted, with excellent penetration and dish and excellent penetration and finishing abilities. Plus, the numbers in terms of minutes per game are deceptive. Exum’s competition has been Rubio and Mitchell, who are high quality starters at their positions. Zach was fighting off 8th and 9th man level SGs and barely managed 6th man level of production.

You seem more reasonable than the typical Zach homer. Our views might not be that far apart.

How do you figure paying Zach wipes us out for next year? We'd have both RoLo and Asik's contracts coming off the books.

[Truebiscuit]

I am one of the only ones not worry about Lavine. I believe that he will sign with the Bulls for somewhere around 16m-18m a year. I expect him to have a breakout season also. Lavine keeps showing that he wants to be a Chicago Bull for the future. I don't see him going anywhere.

If anything Chicago has embraced him he wants his young peers here

KAT and him are boys... *cough* 2020 *cough*

[realEAST]

14 is a fair value for Lavine. I would probably be fine with slight overpay 15. But, 16 makes me nervous.

Honestly, +/- $4m is just posturing for good or bad relations. $2m is a compromise difference. You can't really do much with that little in cap. You're more-so looking at groups of 5s (10m/15/20/25-max) for his yearly salary.

It's gonna come down between:

A 1+1 max salary. (SAC at the top of the list IMO)

B $60-80m for 4y (CHI, ATL, SAC)

C His stock falls totally flat and he and agent agree to a $35m/3 offer sheet.

D Some idiot team offering him a full max (looking at you SAC).

I think A or B happen and Chicago matches unless it's beyond $70m/4. I don't want A to happen. Kills our 2019 cap options, puts it in Zach's head that he needs to get his numbers up again to play the next round of free agency, doubt we resign him afterwards... it'd be a slightly modified version of the Niko debacle.

Option C sounds incredible, but unlikely.

Other teams aside, I dont think has any intrest in LaVine with Hield anc Bogdanovic there. Young, same position and Bogdanovic with pretty decent contract already.

[Pnjguy]

2019-20 Bulls Cap

Asik - 4(guaranteed portion when he is released
Felicio - 8.1
Dunn - 5.3
Lauri - 5.3
Denzel - 3.3
Carter - 4.3
Hutch - 1.9
2018 1st - 4

Total = 36.2

Cap = 107

Cap space = Roughly 71

[kodo]

Pacers Plan On Pursuing Aaron Gordon With Four-Year, $80M+ Offer Sheet

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/250409/Pacers-Plan-On-Pursuing-Aaron-Gordon-With-Four-Year-$80M+-Offer-Sheet

I would assume Lavine gets significantly less than this...but it does show teams are willing to pay big money to young guys even if they haven't led their teams to wins.

[realEAST]

At 14 mil. it's potentially good value there, depends on leght of contract. If he is willing to bet on himself and take 2+1, even better for us.

Depending on offers we might get - and imo there wouldn't be much coming our way, even if S&T with RFAs weren't that hard to arrange (mutual intrest between player and opposing team, with team trading him losing some leverage basically saying they don't want the player back) - it mostly works with overpays imo, and with not too much teams with cap space this year, I am afraid not much chance of it happening, and we'd probably be lowballed if someone would be interested imo (but challengin to match salaries in that case), I'd rather even keep him for decent price and hope he breaks out.

[Dominator83]

I hate this sentiment

But as the current Kawhi Leonard-Spurs staredown and formation of recent super teams demonstrates, players feeling respected goes a long way in an age in which recruiting of other players is paramount. LaVine consistently embraced being the face of the Bulls’ rebuild. Good-faith negotiations could be important to the rebuild’s momentum.

More important to the rebuild would be having resources to land actual game changers. This is really absurd and infuriating.

yeah. if you piss lavine off now, there's probably nothing that you can't smooth over with money in the future if he proves he's worth it. there's really no need to be proactive or generous on our end.

"sorry, but there's a chance you might not actually be a particularly good nba player" is a harsh reality zach will have to hear at some point if he doesn't radically improve his game. if he's not prepared to accept that he might just be a role player, then that's a red flag in its own right

yea ideally, you want Zach to pull a Jimmy Butler. Bet on himself, prove it, then happily accept our offer on the 1st day of free agency with no hard feelings

[micromonkey]

Sweet
If we blow cap on him we won’t be able to get players that help us win!

Super Tank mode :ENABLED: