As Minnesota president / trainer, Tom Thibodeau once dispatched Zach LaVine to Chicago in a 2017 exchange for Jimmy Butler.
But the Knicks coach looked like he wouldn’t mind meeting the Bulls’ current shooting guard, noting his improvement. It is speculated that the Bulls would put LaVine on the block before he became a free agent in 2022. This could be before the March negotiation deadline, this summer or the next negotiation deadline.
The Knicks need more points and LaVine is a sniper – one of the best dunkers in the NBA. He has an average of 26.8 points and 5.3 assists. SNY reported over the summer that LaVine would be on the Knicks’ radar.
The biggest advantage the Knicks would have over many interested teams is that they have $ 18 million in limit space to absorb a big contract without paying a lot of salary. He is one of many players on the Knicks’ radar, the sources say. Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf may be hesitant to negotiate LaVine with Thibodeau, considering the Bulls split was ugly.
Before Monday’s 110-102 loss to the Bulls, in which LaVine scored 21 points out of 8 out of 16 shots with five rebounsd, Thibodeau was asked about LaVine’s progression since eliminating him from Minnesota. Ironically, Butler’s addition to Minnesota created friction with young players and led to Thibodeau’s resignation two years ago.
“It continues to grow, I think, every year,” said Thibodeau. “I think that sometimes we tend to forget the steps that players take to get to where they are today. and for Zach, he started, I think he scored about 13 or 14 points per game in the first year. Then there was another four point jump. Now he’s 26, 27. He’s shooting 50, 40, 90. He’s a sniper. He’s a great athlete. … But he is a great guy, a hard worker. So you knew that it would continue to improve. He’s playing at a very high level. ”
The Knicks also have a wealth of choices to negotiate, including two choices in the first round this year.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan recruited Julius Randle when Donovan was in Florida. Randle chose Kentucky. Now Randle is having a year of career and shooting well on the 3 point line (37.5 percent) and may be about to make his first All-Star team.
“Thibs is putting him in situations to use Julius’ strengths,” said Donovan. “He’s a handful in the low post. He has excellent feet and skill in handling the ball. He worked hard on his shot. He’s playing the ball much better. At the beginning of his career, he’s a guy you left alone and tried to get the paint stuck. Now he’s doing medium, 3s, put it on the floor. He’s a heckuva driver…. He continues to evolve and grow as a player. ”
Donovan has trained Knicks reserve center Nerlens Noel for the past two seasons at OKC. Like Randle, he also recruited Noel, but lost him to Kentucky. Noel, who signed a one-year, $ 5 million contract with the Knicks in November, lost his second consecutive game due to knee pain.
“I loved him,” said Donovan. “I recruited him out of high school. Many of these NBA guys I never caught. He is a great teammate and loves the way he plays the game with great kick blocking ability. He sees the ground well for a big guy. He was great for us at OKC. He gave us an incredible two years there – all about the team. ”