On Friday, the Bulls and Zach LaVine agreed to a max contract of five years, $215 million.
Zach LaVine was a wealthy man even before undergoing the first unrestricted free agency of his NBA career.
But after Friday's news that he has agreed to return to the Bulls on a five-year max contract worth a total of $215.2 million? He just got a whole lot richer.
Here are the projected details of LaVine's contract and what it means for him and the Bulls:
Zach LaVine Max Contract Details
Those aforementioned terms — five years, $215.2 million — represent the most years and monetary value LaVine could have secured on the open market.
The Bulls, as owners of his Bird rights, were the only team that could offer LaVine a fifth year on his contract. Any team besides the Bulls would have only been able to offer LaVine a four-year contract that totaled $159.4 million in cumulative value.
LaVine's contract will begin with a salary that equals 30 percent of the NBA's $123.655 million salary cap for next season — the maximum for a non-All-NBA player with eight years of service time — then increase eight percent in each of the ensuing four years:
NBA
| Age | Season | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | 2022-23 | $37,096,500 |
| 28 | 2023-24 | $40,064,220 |
| 29 | 2024-25 | $43,031,940 |
| 30 | 2025-26 | $45,999,660 |
| 31 | 2026-27* | $48,967,380* |
| Total | $215,159,700 |
* = Player Option
The final year of the contract is a player option, meaning that, when the time comes, LaVine will either have the option to opt in to roughly $49 million, or opt out and again become a free agent at age 30.
Zach LaVine Career Earnings
Before signing his latest deal, LaVine had earned $87,647,298 in salary in his NBA career, according to Spotrac. That number was amassed via the rookie-scale contract he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves for four years, $9,647,298 upon being drafted 13th overall by that franchise in 2014 and the four year, $78 million offer sheet he signed with the Sacramento Kings that the Bulls later matched in 2018.
LaVine's last contract paid him $19.5 million per season, a massive discount for a two-time All-Star that has averaged at least 24 points per game three seasons in a row. This offseason, he was intent on securing a sizable pay raise, and he did just that.
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