Chicago Bulls: 5 goals for the 2018 offseason

1. Secure a sensible Zach LaVine deal

The Zach LaVine paradox is a tough one for anyone to piece together.

On one hand, he offers a ton of upside and indeed does have superstar potential. On the other, his health and chemistry with Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen are questionable.

The bottom line is that the Bulls have to follow through with this catch-22 in order to not miss out on LaVine’s potential. While he has stated that he wants a max contract, the Bulls would be best served to meet him in the middle in offering him a max contract for only one or two seasons. That way, if things don’t work out, at least he will be turning into an expiring contract in the worst-case scenario.

It is tough being held hostage by a star player with bad chemistry or lingering injuries. LaVine has the potential to be both of those. While he is still only 22 years old, his effective field goal percentage was a career low this season at 44.2 percent in just 24 appearances.

Next: Full two-round 2018 NBA Mock Draft

The Bulls have a lot to get busy with this offseason, but if they can bring in a marquee small forward and re-sign LaVine to a sensible deal, they will have a really great chance at keeping this strong rebuild at the same quick pace we saw this season.