Chicago Bulls: 3 reasons Zach LaVine’s contract is a good deal
By Ryan Piers
2. LaVine came at a good price
The contemporary NBA market seems to indicate Zach LaVine is worth more than $19.6 million a year. Now it’s not like the Bulls bought him at the Dollar Tree. LaVine still came at a high cost, but a reasonable one. We previously mentioned Devin Booker, who just signed a huge max extension. He and LaVine have similar career arcs.
Minnesota drafted LaVine, an elite wing out of UCLA, with the 13th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Phoenix drafted Booker, an elite wing out of Kentucky, with the 12th selection in the 2015 Draft.
In 208 career games, Booker has 6.3 win shares with a 14.7 Player Efficiency Rating and a 48.5 effective field goal percentage. In 230 games, LaVine’s 5.2 win shares, 13.5 PER and 50.1 effective field goal percentage aren’t too far off. The two even shared the floor in 2016 NBA Rising Stars game.
Yes, Booker is younger and less damaged. But he will be paid nearly double of Zach LaVine over the next half-decade after inking a five-year, $158 million contract.
Booker is one of the league’s most exciting players with potential to be a Kobe-like scorer. The contract was well worth it for Phoenix. Making this a math equation, if you divide the production of each player by the dollars in their contracts, points or rebounds from LaVine come at a cheaper price than than those of Booker.
LaVine’s contract is akin to Aaron Gordon’s reported four-year, $76 million deal, which the Orlando Sentinel called “team friendly.” And Gordon, whether it be as a dunker or player, has always been locked in step with LaVine in terms or production.
So, even if LaVine is “damaged goods,” he came at a bargain compared to other contracts gifted this offseason.