Getty Zach LaVine
Unlike many NBA free agents who don’t readily show their hand, Chicago Bulls star and impending free agent Zach LaVine has reportedly not made it a secret where he wants to play after the 2021-22 season.
According to ESPN Radio’s David Kaplan, LaVine has been pretty forthcoming with his desire to remain in Chicago.
Kaplan said this in a recent episode of the Kap and J-Hood show:
“He has told people that I know: ‘Hey man, if they want me here, I’m not going anywhere. I’m building this thing. I’m the first guy in the door. I wanna be part of this.’”
With rumors swirling about interest from the Boston Celtics, this should bring a smile to the faces of Bulls fans.
Shaquille O’Neal Predicts the Bulls Will Make a Lot of Noise
While on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith, Shaquille O’Neal was asked about teams in the Eastern Conference who will be a factor next season. O’Neal said:
“The Chicago Bulls will make a lot of noise too, I forgot. They’ll make a lot of noise finally.”
Like almost everyone else, Shaq seemed to leave the Bulls as an afterthought. However, at least he did remember to mention the Bulls before the segment ended.
I’m not sure if Chicagoans should take it as an insult that O’Neal only remembered to talk about the Bulls after he brought up Otto Porter Jr. as a potential MVP of his Shaqtin a Fool series.
For now, Bulls fans have to take what they can get, I suppose.
Zach LaVine Could Be Approaching New Heights in 2021
ClutchPoints’ Jason Patt thinks the 2021-22 season will be a big one for LaVine.
It’s hard to imagine the upcoming season being more eventful than the last year for LaVine. The 27-year-old star made the All-Star team for the first time, averaged career-highs in almost every category and won a gold medal with Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics.
That’s a heck of a year. However, the Bulls still didn’t make the playoffs and LaVine just missed garnering All-NBA honors. Patt says that should all end next season.
He wrote:
Now, LaVine actually has legitimate talent around him. The Bulls brought in Nikola Vucevic before last season’s trade deadline and then added Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan this offseason. There’s a lot more firepower in Chicago, putting them in position to make a big jump in the standings. A Bulls jump in the standings would coincide with a jump in respect for LaVine. And with that, the Bulls star is ready to show that he can be an All-NBA player.
One thing is for sure, LaVine, DeRozan, Ball, Vucevic, Patrick Williams, Coby White and others will have a lot to prove once the season starts. If you’re a Bulls fan, you should welcome the sizable chip your teams stars should have on their collective shoulders.