Michael Reinsdorf has gone on record that the Chicago Bulls will pay the luxury tax if they have a title-contending team.

“Absolutely. All you have to do is go back and look at the last number of championship teams, how many of them were in the luxury tax? With the nature of the NBA and having a soft cap, if you want to compete for championships, you have to be willing to spend into the tax,” Michael Reinsdorf said on the latest edition of the Bulls Talk Podcast. “I think most people will tell you, ‘I don’t want to spend into the tax if we’re not competing for championships, if we’re not good enough. I don’t want to be the 8th seed or out of the playoffs and go into the luxury tax.’

"But when it comes to a team like this (the Bulls), and if we can take the necessary steps next year that allow us to compete for a championship, then for sure we’ll go into the tax. It’s part of the nature of the NBA.”

Zach LaVine will be eligible for a contract extension worth up to $240 million over five years.

“My hope is that he’s here for years to come,” Reinsdorf said. “And Zach knows how we feel about him.”

Zach LaVine will become eligible to sign a five-year, $245 million contract this offseason with the Chicago Bulls if he secures an All-NBA spot this season.

In an interview with Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, LaVine praised the way the Chicago front office of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley has built the team around him.

"I just think from when they got the job with the Chicago Bulls, they wanted to improve the team," said LaVine. "I think they will take every opportunity to improve the team. You respect that as a player because they're competitive as well and they want their organization to always be at the top. I appreciate that about them. They've always been very clear and transparent to me on some of the things that's been going on with the Bulls and the moves that they've made. And that means a lot to me as a player and a guy that they trust to build around."

LaVine was then asked if going on a playoff run before his upcoming contract negotiations is an important factor.

"For me, it's not even about my contract," said LaVine. "I'm a competitor. I want to go to the playoffs and play on the big stage. Contract, everything, that all comes. But I look at it day by day. You can't get to April in a day. You're gonna have to play and compete each and every day to get there, and then once the playoffs come, we gotta go do our thing. You know I'm really excited. I'm really excited to be on that stage, because I haven't been there yet."

Chicago Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine is looking forward to being an unrestricted free agent for the first time. Even more so, LaVine looks forward to getting paid what he thinks he's earned.

“I think we all get what we deserve at the level we play at, for our team and around the league. I think I stack up with everybody at that level,” LaVine said. “We’ll let the chips fall. Is (the max) the goal? I don’t know if it’s the goal, but I should be getting what I deserve."

Under a previous Bulls front office, LaVine had to sign an offer sheet with the Sacramento Kings to get his current contract. Chicago matched that offer sheet, then LaVine blossomed into an All-Star. Now, with DeMar DeRozan as a fellow All-Star, the Bulls are winning. And LaVine said that's why he and Chicago are aligned moving forward.

“That’s why I don’t have to talk about it,” LaVine said. “I’ll go into the offseason, after this year and be very satisfied with what I think I’ll get and I’ll be happy for me and my family.”

The Chicago Bulls have been looking for additional frontcourt depth behind Nikola Vucevic and landed it via the buyout market. Veteran center Tristan Thompson has joined Chicago for the stretch run.

Thompson was traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Indiana Pacers leading up to the trade deadline. He appeared in four games for the Pacers, but took a buyout to join a contender. After spending the first nine years of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bulls will be Thompson's fourth team in the last two seasons.

In order to make room for Thompson, Chicago waived wing Alfonzo McKinnie. McKinnie signed a two-year contract with the Bulls in late-December. Chicago now has just over $1 million in dead money on their books for McKinnie for the remainder of this season.

After playing well on COVID-related hardship 10-day deals, the Bulls signed McKinnie to a two-year, veteran minimum deal. In 17 games with Chicago, McKinnie averaged 3.5 points per game.

Zach LaVine's visit to a knee specialist in Los Angeles went "very well" according to Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan. Donovan said some fluid was drained from LaVine's knee, and that LaVine is cleared to resume playing 48 hours after the procedure.

LaVine has missed the Bulls last three games, and 10 games total over the last month due to knee soreness. The guard still plans to take part in this weekend's All-Star Game, despite the knee issues. Bulls team doctors will discuss how much LaVine can play in the game itself on Sunday.

Donovan also added that reserve guard Alex Caruso will resume dribbling and shooting in the next 7-10 days. Caruso is recovering from a fractured wrist that he suffered in late-January.

Tristan Thompson was traded by the Sacramento Kings to the Indiana Pacers last week and he will be waived on Thursday, according to Rick Carlisle.

Carlisle also revealed that Thompson will sign with the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls are thin at center behind Nikola Vucevic. 

Luka Doncic and DeMar DeRozan have been named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 17.

Doncic averaged 43.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists as the Dallas Mavericks went 2-1.

DeRozan averaged 36.8 points and 5.5 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls went 3-1.

Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine continues to have discomfort in his left knee. The All-Star will travel to Los Angeles to meet with a knee specialist early this week for further evaluation.

Despite the knee issue, LaVine still intends to take part in next weekend's All-Star Game. This season, the second-time All-Star has averaged 24.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

LaVine first missed time in mid-January with knee soreness. He was out for 10 days initially, after getting hurt against the Golden State Warriors on January 14. LaVine has since missed three additional games in February.

The Chicago Bulls are in first place in the Eastern Conference despite a spate of injuries to key rotation players. Fortunately for Chicago, a major reinforcement may be on the way in the form of second-year wing Patrick Williams.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan said there is a "very good possibility" that Williams will return this season. Donovan said he doesn't have a timeline, but that with no setbacks, Williams should get back on the floor before the season ends.

Williams was injured in the season's fifth game. He had been starting alongside DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine on the wing for Chicago. The Bulls are also without Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Derrick Jones Jr. due to long-term injuries.

The San Antonio Spurs are seeking a future first round pick and a quality player in exchange for Jakob Poeltl, sources tell Marc Stein of Substack.

The Chicago Bulls have joined the Toronto Raptors with interest in trading for Poeltl.

Poell is in Year 2 of a three-year, $26.3 million contract.