The Bulls officially matched the Kings' four-year, $78 million offer sheet for guard Zach LaVine on Sunday morning.
"We were excited last summer when we got a dynamic athlete in Zach LaVine through the trade, and we're excited now that we get to keep him," executive vice president John Paxson said in a statement. "Zach showed a relentless work ethic in rehabbing his ACL injury to return to the court, and he has a visible passion for the game of basketball. We know that those attributes, along with his honed skills, will make him an impact player in this league for years to come. We're thrilled to keep Zach on this Bulls team moving forward."
LaVine, who is expected to address reporters Sunday in Las Vegas, has told people inside and outside the organization how excited he is to remain in Chicago and his optimism for the team's young core.
Even with the match, the Bulls could have up to $19 million of salary cap space if they choose to operate as an under-the-cap team the rest of the offseason. That assumes they renounce the rights to Noah Vonleh, which is a formality. If they choose to operate as an over-the-cap team, they have multiple cap exceptions available to them for future moves.
