Henry Roldán
The 2021-2022 NBA season is not over yet, and already the free agent market started to move with several rumors about Zach LaVine‘s future.
After five seasons with the Chicago Bulls, the 27-year-old star point guard appears to be headed for free agency, and potential destinations are constantly being discussed, with the Los Angeles Lakers being one of the most prominent.
While the California team has a tough time securing LaVine’s services because it has little salary cap space for a signing of this magnitude, the organization could pursue several options to improve its chances of making this option a reality, as reporter Eric Pincus explains in a story in Bleacher Report.
LaVine, who has twice been called to the All-Star Game, has the option of signing a five-year, $200 million maximum contract with the Chicago Bulls or a four-year, $160 million contract with another organization.
Those numbers, which are surely on the two-time All-Star’s mind, are impossible for the Lakers to reach unless they manage to trade Russell Westbrook, who will likely cash in his contract option for next season for $41.5 million.
If the Lakers fail to trade Westbrook, any move with LaVine or another star name within the circuit is going to be virtually impossible to achieve, as this salary burden is heightened by the multi-million dollar contracts of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
But, there is always a ‘but’. If Los Angeles is able to move Westbrook to one of the few teams that can afford that salary, such as the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Indiana Pacers, the path to acquiring Zach LaVine via a sign-and-trade would be open.
The latter option consists of an agreement between the player and both teams for the former to sign his maximum contract with the last team he played for, in this case the Bulls, and then be traded to the Lakers. That would be a win-win deal for all parties, as Chicago would get something in return for a player who could leave in free agency, while LaVine and the Lakers would get their union.
Also, according to Pincus, another factor that could work in the Lakers’ favor is that LaVine has just signed with the Klutch Sports Group agency, which is owned by Rich Paul, one of James’ best friends and who also has Davis as a client.
Zach LaVine to undergo Knee Surgery
While his future in the NBA is uncertain, Zach LaVine has decided to undergo surgery on his left knee after several discomforts he suffered in this part of his body throughout the season.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the arthroscopic surgery LaVine will undergo will allow him to be ready to join the Bulls or another team during the summer. However, it is still a concern for all those interested in the stellar player, who has an extensive injury history in his career, including a torn cruciate ligament in that same knee in the 2017 campaign.
Where will Zach LaVine end up for the start of the next NBA season?
