Zach LaVine Suspended And Charged By The NBA After Violating League’s Personal Conduct Policy
If a supposedly fractured relationship must be repaired between the Chicago Bulls and their best player, two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine, the two sides are heading into the season with momentum on their side.
In preparation for the start of next week’s training camp, LaVine has been a willing participant in team activities, according to team sources. He joined the majority of his teammates in Miami last month for a player-organized minicamp.
The Democratic National Convention took over Chicago and bumped the Bulls out of both the United Center and the Advocate Center, the team’s training facility across the street from the arena. Left with no place to train, players gathered in Miami over the course of a week and turned a swanky hotel gymnasium into their home away from home.
LaVine, who was expected to be traded this summer along with DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, put the past aside. For two days, a team source said, LaVine played pick-up games and began the process of building chemistry in Florida before having to return to his home in California for personal reasons.
One way the team banded together was seen in several veteran players picking up the expenses for their less-established teammates. The NBA prohibits clubs from paying for offseason team gatherings. If nothing else, players paying their own way for offsite team-wide activities showed an encouraging early commitment to this season.
LaVine reported to Chicago earlier this month, along with the majority of the Bulls roster. An unofficial second minicamp ensued inside the Advocate Center. LaVine didn’t have to report until next week, when training camp opens Tuesday, but he again displayed his intention to buy in to what the new-look Bulls are doing.
Trade talks have long included LaVine’s name, and the Bulls aggressively tried finding a trade partner this summer. But rival teams wanted additional compensation for taking on LaVine, and the Bulls refused to attach additional resources to move him.
As the two sides worked together to find a suitable deal, LaVine was noticeably absent from NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. A half-dozen players from the Bulls’ main roster sat courtside for the team’s first game. LaVine hadn’t been seen or heard from since the end of the season.