Zach LaVine's free agency warning to Bulls: Want 'what I deserve'
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The Bulls have been one of the big stories of this NBA season, emerging as one of the premier teams in the league behind the 1-2 punch of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.
But that duo may not be together for that long. There is a chance LaVine could go elsewhere after the season. A free agent-to-be, he told Yahoo Sports he is going into it open-minded.
“Free agency is gonna be a big milestone for me,” LaVine said. “It’s my first time going into it really being [an] unrestricted free agent. I dealt with it being restricted before so it’s a whole new experience.
“I’m excited for the season with the Bulls. But you know, moving forward, it’s gonna be a whole new experience for me.”
In 2018, LaVine, 26, was a restricted free agent. The Bulls matched a four-year, $78 million offer sheet from the Kings, which is how he landed his first big deal. His next contract could be monstrous, now that he’s averaging 26 points, close to five rebounds and five assists while shooting 41 percent from 3-point range over the last two years.
If he stays with the Bulls, LaVine can get a five-year deal worth roughly $200 million. That number could be even higher if he is selected to an all-NBA team. Otherwise, he can get $160 million over four years from another team.
“I think we all get what we deserve at the level we play at, for our team and around the league. I think I stack up with everybody at that level,” he said. “We’ll let the chips fall. Is the [max] the goal? I don’t know if it’s the goal, but I should be getting what I deserve.
“I’ll let [NBA general managers] tell me what that is and we’ll go from there.”
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