In a summer where virtually no team had cap space, the Sacramento Kings found a way to throw a big wrench in the offseason. Zach LaVine might be the luckiest man in the NBA because he found a suitor in restricted free agency. LaVine and Sacramento have agreed to a 4-year, $80 million deal. Chicago will have 48 hours to match the offer or he will become an official member of the Kings organization. The $20 million annual price tag will be the largest signed by any restricted free agent thus far.
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports was the first to report the news:
RFA Zach LaVine has agreed to a four-year, $80M offer sheet with the Sacramento Kings, league sources tell Yahoo. The Chicago Bulls have 48 hours to match.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2018
LaVine, 23, is more known for being a prolific dunker than actually being a good basketball player. LaVine is a two-time dunk champion with the Minnesota Timberwolves. This past year, he was dealt to Chicago in the Jimmy Butler deal. Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn also went to Chicago in the trade. The bad news is Chicago will have to overpay LaVine or they will lose him for nothing after being a vital piece of that trade.
Sacramento was one of the few teams that could pull off an offer like this. I’m surprised they wanted to offer this deal to LaVine rather than Clint Capela who also sits out on the restricted market. Jabari Parker, Jusuf Nurkic, and Marcus Smart also do not have offers at this time. LaVine, when healthy, is a freak athlete that can really drive to the line. He averaged 16.7 points per game this past year with the Bulls but only shot 38.3 percent from the field.
Chicago has 48 hours to match. I’m curious if they will. Stay tuned.
