Zach LaVine will become eligible to sign a five-year, $245 million contract this offseason with the Chicago Bulls if he secures an All-NBA spot this season.
In an interview with Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, LaVine praised the way the Chicago front office of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley has built the team around him.
“I just think from when they got the job with the Chicago Bulls, they wanted to improve the team,” said LaVine. “I think they will take every opportunity to improve the team. You respect that as a player because they’re competitive as well and they want their organization to always be at the top. I appreciate that about them. They’ve always been very clear and transparent to me on some of the things that’s been going on with the Bulls and the moves that they’ve made. And that means a lot to me as a player and a guy that they trust to build around.”
LaVine was then asked if going on a playoff run before his upcoming contract negotiations is an important factor.
“For me, it’s not even about my contract,” said LaVine. “I’m a competitor. I want to go to the playoffs and play on the big stage. Contract, everything, that all comes. But I look at it day by day. You can’t get to April in a day. You’re gonna have to play and compete each and every day to get there, and then once the playoffs come, we gotta go do our thing. You know I’m really excited. I’m really excited to be on that stage, because I haven’t been there yet.”