NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Chicago Bulls

3. Zach LaVine

LaVine’s restricted free agency might be one of the most fascinating cases that we see all summer. Coming off of an ACL tear that he sustained in early February 2017, nobody knew what to expect from the two-time Dunk Contest champion. The LaVine we saw upon his return to the court was similar to the player we knew before the knee injury. That’s simultaneously comforting and disconcerting. LaVine’s crazy athleticism doesn’t seem to have taken a step back.  He can still leap explosively and throw down the dunks that make him so spectacular to watch. Just ask poor Jakarr Sampson:

But many of the deficiencies that plagued LaVine’s game were still present and he didn’t make any tangible improvements. This makes sense of course, the guy spent the better part of a year rehabbing a catastrophic knee injury. But the holes in his game, on both sides of the ball, were alarming to begin with.  During his early days in Minnesota for example, the Wolves experimented with LaVine at point guard and the results were beyond catastrophic. He’s improved since then, but he’s not an ideal option to create for his teammates.  So far in Chicago, LaVine hasn’t demonstrated legit playmaking ability.  LaVine is more of a spark plug that can get his own offense going. That’s all well and good, but he’s prone to chucking up iffy shots.

At the other end of the floor, LaVine has always been a poor defender. A lot of that has to do with effort level. Given his athleticism, wingspan and body frame, he has the tools to be above average on defense. At the worst he should be passable. But LaVine is hapless. He loses track of his man and suffers from bouts of absentmindedness all too often.

Despite all the flaws, and they are many, LaVine’s potential to become a useful player on a winning team is obvious. There is room for players like him on most NBA teams. I’m just not sure that dishing out a huge deal to player of LaVine’s ilk is a particularly prudent use of resources. When you consider the notion that LaVine and Markkanen were the centerpieces of Chicago’s haul in the Jimmy Butler trade however, you get the feeling that the front office is committed to keeping him around.

But how much will the Bulls have to pay up to retain LaVine? A potential max extension would begin at about $25 million annually. With only a few teams having usable cap space this summer though, I don’t see anyone coming in with that kind of offer for a restricted free agent. If the market for LaVine is tepid, Chicago could squeeze him a bit. I’m not sure that the front office has some sort of red line price that it won’t match. But if his price tag gets into the ballpark of $15 million or more, the Bulls should strongly consider moving on.