Chicago Bulls

Report: Zach LaVine has privately questioned his role with Chicago Bulls franchise at times

Published by
Peter Dewey

Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine reportedly has privately questioned his role with the team at times.

“I’ve sourced out that Zach privately has questioned his role standing amongst the franchise at times,” Bulls insider K.C. Johnson reported.

LaVine signed a five-year deal with the Bulls in the offseason, but it appears the two sides aren’t on the same page right now.

The Bulls have gotten off to a slow start in the 2022-23 campaign. They own a 16-21 record and have lost two straight, putting them as the No. 11 team in the Eastern Conference.

Last season, Chicago was much more successful, finishing with the No. 6 seed in the East and making the playoffs. However, the Bulls did fall off at the end of the regular season and were bounced in the first round of the playoffs.

LaVine, 27, looked to be a key piece of the Bulls’ future, but it appears he hasn’t been the happiest with the franchise.

Chicago shouldn’t be in any rush to move on from LaVine, as he’s under club control through the 2025-26 season and has a player option for the 2026-27 campaign.

This season, LaVine is averaging 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc.

He’s seen his shots per game dip a bit in recent seasons with the addition of DeMar DeRozan to the team. He has averaged fewer than 18 shots per game since the start of last season. Prior to DeRozan’s arrival, LaVine attempted 19.4 shots per game in the 2020-21 season.

The Bulls are in a tough spot right now, as they have a veteran core that should be a playoff team. If the squad is unable to turn things around, Chicago may look to trade some of its key pieces.

LaVine is one of the best scorers in the NBA, and one has to imagine that the Bulls would like to make things work with him.

Whatever differences the two sides have at the moment, it appears something may need to change for LaVine to feel better about his current situation.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball, football and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.

Published by
Peter Dewey

Recent Posts

‘Wtf’: Trae Young reacts to Rashad McCants saying he could score 81 points like Kobe Bryant

Back in January of 2006, former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant put on one…

3 hours ago

Rashad McCants says he could’ve won ROTY but had a coach who was ‘shaking in the motherf——g huddle’

Former NBA guard Rashad McCants was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the last lottery…

4 hours ago

Chandler Parsons says Jaylen Brown would be best player on over half of NBA teams, including some playoff teams

The Boston Celtics were without maybe their top player for Wednesday's Game 2 versus the…

4 hours ago

‘Spo gonna Spo’: Cavs player gives Erik Spoelstra his flowers after Heat’s near-upset in Game 2

The odds were stacked against the Miami Heat to pick up a win in Game…

4 hours ago

Report: Will Campbell landing with Patriots may depend on whether team gets ‘fair deal’ to trade down

As a consolation prize for a woeful 2024 season that was marred by losing, the…

4 hours ago

Report: ‘Most of the league’ has been contacted about Jalen Ramsey, including Rams, Lions and Eagles

Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey is one of the more notable players in the league…

4 hours ago