From the moment Zach LaVin🅠e switched to the Klutch Sports Group in August o𝓰f 2021, we knew what it was about.
One of the most powerful agencies in basketball with names like LeBron James, Trae Young, and Draymond Green on their client list, Klutch has built a reputation around getting superstars paid. The switch made plenty of sense for a player fresh off his first All-Star berth and expecting to be the top unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022. Not only could leader Rich Paul help ensure that LaVine’s negotiations fell in his favor, but he could also provide LaVine with the superstar treatment off the court.
What has followed are Mountain Dew and CarMax commercials, a second-consecutive All-Star-caliber season, a new shoe deal with New Balance, and a whole lot of annoying freakin’ free agency rumors.
Indeed, since the regular season came to a harsh end in the first round, the skepticism around LaVine’s future in Chicago has only grown. First came a non-committal press conference from the man himself (smart leverage play); then a report that started LaVine “could be in play” for opposing teams (*loosens tie a bit*); then a couple of more reports that listed potential suitors (*pours a scotch*), and then a video of Zach LaVine stating that he’s “a big fan” of the Lakers on TMZ (WE GET IT ALREADY!).
In all seriousness, despite the excessive amount of LaVine content that has hit our screen in recent weeks, my concern level still hasn’t shifted all that much. The Chicago Bulls can offer him the most money, and Klutch simply wants to ensure that happens. Indeed, we even have one recent report that suggests this is exactly what’s happening behind the scenes.
Sean Deveney – – recently shared a quote that reportedly comes via an Eastern Conference GM who downplays a♛ll the recent LaVine hoopla.
“Business as usual,” the GM told Deveney. “The Bulls can give him more money. They can give him a chance to go to the playoffs every year. If he is not the No. 1 option, he is 1A and that is going to be the case in just about any place he goes if he is serious about leaving. Portland is out there as a possibility for him, and if he leaves, that is the only place where it would make any sense. But would he shoot more than Damian Lillard there? Of course not. It’s a lateral move, or even a s🤪tep down a bit.”
Deveney went on to also share that one “league source” said a lot of recent rumors have come from “agents.” That source also said the goal is to get LaVine paid while also raising his profile: “It is still Zach’s team,” the NBA source reportedly told Heavy dot com. “Klutch just wants to make sure everyone knows it.”
So, yeah, this basically aligns with what a lot of us have been thinking about this LaVine situation for weeks. Klutch wants to make it messy 🌠because the messier it is, the more uncertainty there might be. And the more uncertainty there might be, the more prone the Bulls could be to immediately fork over the full five-year max. No questions asked.
Now, do I think it’s possible some of these recent reports still hold a little weight? Sure. LaVine is an unrestricted free agent, and he has the right to listen to other pitches and weigh his options. The fact of the matter, though, is the Bulls still sit as by far the best option, and I think LaVine understands that.
None of this is to say we shouldn’t survey the other rumors and reports that will undoubtedly surface, but it does serve as a good reminder that this is a big game of cat and mouse. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson recently said “the Bulls are very confident in their ability to re-sign Zach LaVine” for a reason, and it’s likely because they know exactly what Klutch is trying to do.
