The Chicago Bulls hoped to build around Zach LaVine, putting plenty of talent around him. However, their roster hasn't meshed well since Lonzo Ball suffered a knee injury last season, and it may never will.
So, with the rumors of a feud between him and coach Billy Donovan, plus the Bulls' inability to compete at the highest level, some speculated he could be one of the biggest names moved in this year's trade deadline.
And even though that wasn't the case and he survived the deadline in the Windy City, some around the league still believe he wants out, presumably to go back to California and play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Notably, that might not be the case.
NBA News: Zach LaVine Says He's Still Committed To Chicago
"I signed here to be here for five years," LaVine told NBC Sports Chicago. "It’s not up to me if I’m here or not. That’s for people above my role. But the franchise committed to me the same way I committed to them. As long as I have a Bulls jersey on, I support Chicago. I always have ever since I got traded here. It’s a franchise that wanted me and has helped my career out."
"You understand the position you’re in---the first year of a contract that people put a label on for some reason. I’m the same player since I came here. That contract didn’t change me," he added.
There's No Beef With Billy Donovan
The UCLA product also talked about his relationship with coach Donovan. And while he admits they don't always look eye-to-eye on some things, he also claims he's been quite open to working things out:
"Our relationship is fine," LaVine said. "We’ve had numerous talks. And that’s happened from Day One of our relationship from when he got here. He’s very personable. His door is always open. Do we agree on everything? No. And look, there are certain things I do that he doesn’t agree with. So I think that incident was one situation where we didn’t agree. We talked about it. We moved on. And we’re, what, 40-some games past that point? It’s not like I’m still hanging on to it."
LaVine is a talented scorer, but the Bulls might need more than that to be back to their championship-winning days. So, he might be safe for now, but don't be shocked if they move him in the offseason.
