Michael Reinsdorf has gone on record that the Chicago Bulls will pay the luxury tax if they have a title-contending team.
“Absolutely. All you have to do is go back and look at the last number of championship teams, how many of them were in the luxury tax? With the nature of the NBA and having a soft cap, if you want to compete for championships, you have to be willing to spend into the tax,” Michael Reinsdorf said on the latest edition of the Bulls Talk Podcast. “I think most people will tell you, ‘I don’t want to spend into the tax if we’re not competing for championships, if we’re not good enough. I don’t want to be the 8th seed or out of the playoffs and go into the luxury tax.’
“But when it comes to a team like this (the Bulls), and if we can take the necessary steps next year that allow us to compete for a championship, then for sure we’ll go into the tax. It’s part of the nature of the NBA.”
Zach LaVine will be eligible for a contract extension worth up to $240 million over five years.
“My hope is that he’s here for years to come,” Reinsdorf said. “And Zach knows how we feel about him.”