Two-time NBA All-Star Zach LaVine, one of the most coveted free agents on the market, has agreed to a five-year, $215.2 million contract to stay with the Chicago Bulls, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
LaVine has averaged 25.8 points (on 49/40/85 shooting splits), 4.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 34.9 minutes per game for the Chicago Bulls the past two seasons, earning his first two All-Star bids at ages 25 and 26.
Defense and playmaking remain obstacles to his superstardom, but LaVine has been one of the most efficient high-volume scorers in the league, joining Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid and LeBron James on the short list of players who have averaged a true shooting percentage greater than 60% on more than 15 field-goal attempts in more than 100 games played over the last two seasons. The only others to have hit those marks in fewer than 100 games since the start of the 2020-21 season: Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson and Kawhi Leonard.
LaVine is in rare company as a pure scorer, any way you break the numbers down. He is a two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion and a 39% shooter from 3-point range in his career, demonstrating the breadth of the athleticism and skill he leverages to create shots at every level. His ascent is the sole reason Chicago’s June 2017 trade of Jimmy Butler for LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn was not an abject disaster.
In an effort to retain LaVine, the Bulls added All-Stars Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan in addition to the free-agency signings of Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. Together, they formed the core of a sixth seed that might have competed in the Eastern Conference playoffs if not for mounting injuries throughout the season.
“We’re prepared to do what it will take to bring Zach back in the fold,” Bulls general manager Marc Eversley recently told reporters in a post-draft press conference, adding, “It’s our every intention to bring him back.”
A five-game, first-round series loss to the Milwaukee Bucks this past spring marked LaVine’s first career playoff appearance. He averaged a respectable 19-6-5 on 43/38/93 shooting splits through the first four games before he entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols prior to an elimination Game 5.
Prior to…