The Bulls know they have a Zach LaVine problem.
Not the man or the player, but the contract.
A team source reiterated that trading the two-time All-Star remains priority one, two, and three this summer, with the hope to not only get off the remaining three years, nearly $138 million left on the max contract, but also to make sure the runway remained clear for the continued emergence of Coby White as a lead guard.
The issue facing the organization, however, is that not only is LaVine coming off season-ending foot surgery, but his reputation of not being a difference maker when it comes to impacting winning didn’t exactly subside throughout the 2023-24 campaign.
The Bulls couldn’t find any takers at the February trade deadline, despite being aggressive in trying to move LaVine going back to December.
But the landscape has also changed.
Atlanta is looking to break up its backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, both Orlando and Sacramento need a proven scoring punch, and a source indicated that Charlotte was looking to add some scoring and star power to go along with LaMelo Ball and rookie Brandon Miller.
The situation in Cleveland with Donovan Mitchell could also get interesting if the veteran shows no interest in signing a contract extension.
That’s why the Bulls remain in wait-and-see mode.
What they have no concerns with is that White will continue working to get better. The former No. 7 overall pick from the 2019 draft finished second to Tyrese Maxey in the league’s Most Improved Player Award, and knows he left some unfulfilled moments out on the court just because of what was asked of him this season.
White came into the year battling for a starting point guard spot and hoping to be the lead facilitator for the “Big Three” of LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.
With LaVine dealing with injuries most of the year and Vucevic struggling to find consistency with his shooting, it was White that became Robin to DeRozan’s Batman.
That meant watching his minutes go from a total of 1,730 for the 2022-23 season to finishing third in the league in total minutes played with 2,881 this year.
“As the season went on, one thing I need to work on, focus on is probably my conditioning,” White said of his summer priority. “I don’t think anything I could have done last offseason could have prepared me for the amount of minutes and load I had this year. For me now moving forward I just have to work on my conditioning and make sure I’m prepared for anything coming into (next) season.”
Surprisingly, White wants to do it with LaVine next to him.
“When the media ran with all that (trade) stuff it was out of (LaVine’s) control,” White said. “He’s been here and after games texts the group. He texted me and the team right after the Atlanta (play-in) win (to congratulate us). Zach has been my teammate since I’ve been in the NBA and I know how much he cares about winning and the team, and I don’t see a problem because I know who he is as a person.”
Guard Alex Caruso had a similar stance.
“Throughout the year you could see times all the guards and wings, we had to play 40 minutes and being able to cut that down to 30 and having a guy come in and play 30 (would strengthen the team),” Caruso said. “He can score in bunches and be a threat for us and kind of get a shot whenever he needs and that is something that is invaluable in the NBA. There’s always a spot for someone like that on the team.”
That’s why players play, and front offices manage rosters.
That’s also why the Bulls know they need to turnover every stone to find a trade partner for LaVine.
“I just work here, brother,” White added. “I’m not the front office. I rock with the guys in this locker room.”
