Bulls Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding Zach LaVine and Lance Stephenson
The Chicago Bulls appear to be building their team slowly, as they hope to get better by drafting quality players and developing young talent under the watchful eye of head coach Fred Hoiberg and his assistants.
They recently drafted Wendell Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchison, although neither player is likely to become a superstar. However, both are hardworking players who have a solid chance to make the Bulls a more competitive team.
The closest thing the Bulls have to a superstar at this point is Zach LaVine, who returned from a serious knee injury to play 24 games in 2017-18. He was limited in terms of minutes when he first came back, but the 6'5" combo guard averaged 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
The 23-year-old didn't dominate after his return to the lineup, but he did enough to show he will be a valuable contributor and could fulfill his explosive talent to become a high-level player.
LaVine, who played with the Minnesota Timberwolves for three seasons before he came to the Bulls in the Jimmy Butler trade, is a restricted free agent. And it has long been expected that if there are offer sheets that come his way, the Bulls would match it without a second thought.
An offer sheet could come as early as Sunday, and LaVine would be within his rights to sign it. The Bulls would most likely match it, but there are no guarantees at this point that they will.
Nick Friedell of ESPN.com tweeted that the team's decision-makers do not appear to have as much support for LaVine at this point as they did when they acquired him or when they were waiting for him to get back in the lineup.
Friedell said it's still a possibility the Bulls could sign LaVine and lock him up with a new deal, but they could also let the market dictate and see if another team will opt to give him a sizable offer.
If that happens, the Bulls could match it, but they could also let that team have LaVine if they don't believe he will be worth the money or they have lost faith in his ability to develop into a top-tier player.
The Bulls could be in the market for free agent Lance Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers. The 6'5" swingman has played with six teams since entering the league in the 2010-11 season, including two stints with the Pacers.
He is coming off a season in which he averaged 9.2 points largely from the bench and averaging a bit more than 22 minutes per game. The Pacers remain a possibility for him in 2018-19, according to Adam Zagoria of SportsNet New York, but the Bulls have some interest as well.
Stephenson could be a decent role player for the Bulls, but they will have to see if Stephenson is truly interested in coming to Chicago.
