Zach LaVine is the lynchpin of the Chicago Bulls offense in the nascent 2021-22 NBA season. The player is recording 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists in a team’s unbeaten streak in 4 games.
In addition, the scorer, who is playing his last season under contract, registers 50% in shots from the court and 44.4% in triple shots and has been one of the main protagonists of the quick-break plays of the renewed quintet that is giving that talk.
It is the first time in his entire NBA career that Zach LaVine has won 4 consecutive games. pic.twitter.com/DUKDON2x4e
– Sixth Man (@ 6thHombreLATAM) October 26, 2021
He currently has the third-best salary in the squad at $ 19.5 million, according to data from the Spotrac website; which is surpassed by his teammates DeMar DeRozan with $ 26 million and Nikola Vucevic with $ 24 million.
If the Bulls hope to keep LaVine for years to come, the front office will need to offer a better deal that’s commensurate with what he’s doing on the court, which is projected at $ 33.6 million per season right now.
With this three, @ZachLaVine passes MJ for 4th most three-pointers made in Bulls history.@NBCSChicago | #BullsNation pic.twitter.com/G1ELnQpVsX
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 26, 2021
The financial maneuver that Chicago’s management must make to retain its stellar piece will force it to part with some players so as not to exceed the salary cap, which is currently $ 14 million below. However, that will not be possible until after the current campaign ends.
If kept this way for the next free agent period, the only thing the Bulls could offer LaVine is 120% of the contract he projects for 2022, which would be $ 23.4 million per year, a difference of $ 9 million that the player surely will not I’d be willing to sacrifice to stay in Chicago.
