The Chicago Bulls have been one of the most volatile teams in the NBA this offseason. Between attempted and failed star trades, no team has experienced as much instability.
The instability the Bulls are currently facing this offseason didn’t come out of nowhere, it developed over several seasons. Perhaps the most volatile was the Chicago Bulls’ inability to trade Zach LaVine after dangling him all season long. It turns out that LaVine didn’t appreciate the treatment he received from the Bulls.
According to a report by ESPN’s Jamal CollierZach LaVine didn’t like the way the Chicago Bulls singled him out during practice. Here’s the exact excerpt from Collier’s piece.
“LaVine also felt singled out during film sessions and felt he took too much blame for the team’s losing streak during his tenure — which produced just one playoff appearance in seven years — despite other roster failures, sources told ESPN,” Collier said.
While the Chicago Bulls were a three-headed monster consisting of LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic, LaVine was the biggest star on the team. Part of the responsibility of being the biggest star is taking the brunt of the criticism when the team isn’t doing well. It seems that inability to take that criticism is also why the Bulls have a problem with LaVine.
“Donovan, meanwhile, believes he’s been trying to convince LaVine to adopt a style of play that’s more suited to the team, sources say, pointing to the way the Bulls competed in LaVine’s absence last year as evidence of the team’s potential if LaVine fits into the system,” Collier said.
The Chicago Bulls aren’t going to stop there. Given the way things are going, the team is in for a very eventful 2024-25 NBA season.
