Daily Bulls

Chicago was busy with the first full day of free agency earlier today; Zach Lavine and the Chicago Bulls have agreed on a 5-year/$215 Million max contract, according to Klutch Sports. According to ESPN sources, a couple of hours later, Derrick Jones Jr got a 2-year/6.6 Million contract to stay in Chicago.

Lavine got the bag — 5 year/$215M

Lavine, 27, has become a star in the league in the Windy City, where he arrived in the Jimmy Butler trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The former UCLA guard has bloomed into a two-time All-Star and averaged 24.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 272 games in a Bulls uniform. Along with DeMar DeRozan, he was a significant factor in helping Chicago get back to the postseason for the first time since 2017. That postseason was also Lavine’s first postseason in his career.

Coming off a gold meal in Tokyo with Team USA, Lavine averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 67 games during the 2021-22 season. Despite being hurt for the final five months with a knee injury that required surgery after the season. Lavine will hopefully get to play in the postseason next season fully healthy.

Derrick Jones Jr — 2 year/$6.6M

Many NBA executives thought Jones would go somewhere else, but he will be back in Chicago for at least one more season in the Windy City. He will have a player option in the second season of his contract. Jones Jr averaged 5.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 51 games. He started in 8 games. It will be interesting to see how many minutes Jones will get off the bench next season.

Check out my latest article on Chicago signing Andre Drummond!!!!!

“Chicago is my home,” Lavine said to NBC Sports Chicago. “I’m extremely excited. I appreciate the fans. And I’m ready to continue this winning process that we have going.” With 14 players under contract for next season, there will most likely be one more addition. Lavine’s max contract is a huge relief, but now they will need to start to figure out how to contend with other contenders who got better through free agency.

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