Zach LaVine’s latest move may have answered the question Bulls fans kept asking: was winning ever really the priority?
For years in Chicago, LaVine carried himself like the face of the franchise. He was the Bulls’ leading scorer, easily the most talented player on the roster, and for stretches he embraced the responsibility that came with that role.
But the fit never fully clicked. He and Billy Donovan didn’t always see things the same way, and the bigger issue was always obvious - LaVine wanted to compete at a higher level than the team around him could reach.
That tension eventually ran its course. The Bulls moved him in a three-team trade to the Sacramento Kings, giving him a path to opt out of his deal and chase a contender.
Instead, LaVine chose the opposite route. He picked up his $49 million player option for next season, even with no buyout coming from Sacramento.
That decision says plenty. The Kings are one of the worst teams and worst-run organizations in professional sports, and they waived DeMar DeRozan, giving him a chance to chase a championship elsewhere.
LaVine, though, is staying put. Whatever talk there was about wanting to win at the highest level, it doesn’t look like that’s the driving force anymore.
Of course, walking away from $49 million is not something many players would do. LaVine’s contract was a mistake from the start, and for much of his time in Chicago, he was nearly impossible to move. He knows he won’t see another payday like that one, even if a long-term deal could still bring in more money down the line.
Still, it’s hard to square the idea of LaVine chasing a ring with what’s in front of him in Sacramento. Based on the current roster, that path doesn’t look realistic. So the question lingers: was all the talk about wanting out really about winning, or was it simply about getting away from Chicago?
What the Bulls got back matters, too. LaVine brought them Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, Tre Jones, and the pick they used to get Noa Essengue. That package looks a lot more useful than the empty scoring nights he piled up at United Center, along with the sideline frustration and the negative attention that followed.
Now LaVine is locked into the money, not the chase for the Larry O'Brien trophy. And for Bulls fans, that choice may have said more than anything else ever did.
In Other News...
Nick Wright Just Reopened A Michael Jordan Playoff Debate Bulls Fans Hate
Nick Wright has a way of poking at the kind of Michael Jordan mythology Bulls fans usually prefer to leave untouched, and his latest podcast discussion did exactly that. He went back to playoff moments that do not fit the cleanest version of Jordans legend, pointing to a rough night against Detroit in the 1989 Eastern Conference Finals and another against New York in 1993, while also acknowledging that Jordan still found ways to matter even when the shot was not falling.
For Chicago fans, the frustration is not just the criticism itself but the timing and the target. Jordans playoff rsum has always been built on the idea of inevitability, yet Wrights argument leans on the games where the Bulls needed more than scoring from their star, with Scottie Pippen stepping into a bigger role in those series. He also widened the lens to another low point later in Jordans career, leaving the debate hanging right where it tends to get hottest. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Could Be Pulled Into A Jonathan Kuminga Move With Real Stakes
A potential Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade has started to sound less like a two-team problem and more like the kind of cap puzzle that can pull a third club into the middle of it. According to ESPNs Bobby Marks, the Lakers have already used all of their available 2026 salary cap space, which is why a more complicated framework is being discussed with the Hawks and, possibly, Chicago helping make the math work.
For the Bulls, the appeal would be less about chasing a headline and more about using their available tools to fill an open roster spot while adding shooting and depth. In the hypothetical setup, Chicago would help route contracts through the deal and could wind up with Dalton Knecht and Corey Kispert, but the whole structure still sits in the speculative stage as front offices weigh whether the cap flexibility is worth the moving parts. [Read more 🡒]