It’s tough to justify the Chicago Bulls’ trades over the past few years. The Bulls have traded some excellent players, but have received limited assets in return.
At the top of that list is Zach LaVine, who they moved to the Sacramento Kings. Ultimately, LaVine’s $215 million deal over five seasons was undoubtedly a lot of money. Still, he’s an excellent player and is likely a decent enough option to win a championship as a second option.
Despite that, because he’s being paid like a first option, Ricky O’Donnell of SB Nation believes that he’s one of the most overpaid players in the NBA, noting that while he had a good season last year, the former Bulls guard is one of the most overpaid players in the NBA.
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“LaVine was quietly awesome last season, leading the NBA in three-point percentage among qualified shooters at 44.6 percent from deep. He remains a talented rim finisher as well (67 percent within three-feet), and is one of the best in the league at combining high-volume scoring with efficiency. So why did no one want LaVine when the Bulls tried to give him away for free?
“LaVine is a poor defender, he’s never been a high-IQ decision-maker, and his injury history is scary. It would be fun to see what he could do on a good team playing off a real A1 star, but his contract pays him like he is an A1 star, and he’s never been able to carry his team to winning. LaVine is something of a sympathetic figure after spending his whole career on three hopeless franchises, but it makes sense that no one wants a flawed co-star paid like a superstar on their salary sheet,” he wrote.
All Bulls fans know that LaVine has flaws, but so do many other second options in the NBA.
However, his defensive problems are sometimes a bit worrisome, and as O’Donnell touched on, the injuries have certainly piled up.
If he can stay healthy and get traded to a better team than the Kings, perhaps he can show what he can do on a competent roster.
