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Sacramento Kings sign Zach LaVine offer sheet: Bulls have right to match

By Tyler Watts

SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 5: Zach Lavine #8 of the Chicago Bulls faces off against Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings on February 5, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 5: Zach Lavine #8 of the Chicago Bulls faces off against Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings on February 5, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Sacramento Kings made a massive offer to restricted free agent Zach LaVine, and now the Chicago Bulls have two days to decide if they want to match it.

The Sacramento Kings are looking to secure young talent to jumpstart their rebuild.  It started with the DeMarcus Cousins trade in February 2017.  The roster now features three top-six draft picks and a euro sensation, but the Kings want to snap their playoff drought.

That is why the team made a huge gamble on July 6.  Shams Charania broke the news on the Kings massive signing below.

Background on LaVine

Zach LaVine is only 23 years old and fits in well with Sacramento’s timeline.  Only De’Aaron Fox, Skal Labissiere, and rookie Marvin Bagley III are younger than LaVine.

Related Story: 3 reasons for the Kings to target Zach LaVine

He also has four years of NBA experience and has proven to be a skilled offensive player.  LaVine averaged 18.9 points per game including 2.6 3-pointers made in 2016-2017 while playing 37.2 minutes per game.  He only averaged 16.7 points per game last season but played just 27.3 minutes a night.  That is 22.0 points per 36-minute average.  LaVine has also averaged over three assists per game in each of his NBA seasons.  He is an above league average 3-point shooter as well.

Concerns

The most significant concerns with the deal are money and health.  LaVine getting $80 million over four years is a massive amount.  The Kings have the cap space, but has LaVine proven worthy of $20 million a season?  Improvements could happen, but it is a difficult argument to make at this moment.

LaVine also tore his ACL in February 2017.  That injury and others limited him to just 71 games combined in the last two seasons.  A significant knee injury is always a bit worrisome especially for a young player making this signing a risk.

Final thoughts

The Sacramento Kings signed restricted free agent Zach LaVine to a massive offer sheet on Friday.  The Chicago Bulls now have two days to match or let him move on to Sacramento.  It will be a tough decision for the Bulls as the Kings overpaid for the young talent.  Stay tuned for more in the coming days.

Next: Re-grading the last 5 Kings drafts

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