Bulls guard Zach LaVine addresses elephant in room in media-day news conference

Who said Bulls guard Zach LaVine couldn’t play defense?

There he was Monday, firmly locked into a stance, willing to take on all comers.

‘‘I got it first,’’ LaVine insisted, grabbing the microphone before anyone else in the Advocate Center could react.

Just like that, Bulls media day saw its biggest surprise of the afternoon.

After months of speculation surrounding LaVine since he last spoke with the media in February, the expectation was that he would give his usual song-and-dance about his status with the Bulls. After all, LaVine had made it a practice to sound more like a businessman than a basketball player too often in the last few seasons.

But when it was his turn to face the media, LaVine did something he rarely has done. He got out in front of the cloud hanging over him, opening his news conference with a statement from the heart rather than just taking questions.

The gist of it? Save any negative talk or questions about him being traded because they will be turned away.

‘‘I’ve had a lot of learning to do [this offseason], watched a lot of film, so I’m excited to play,’’ LaVine said. ‘‘Offensively, defensively, do whatever role they put me in, so I’m excited for that. When you go through a long offseason like I have, you get to learn a lot about yourself and the company you keep.

‘‘With everything I’ve learned, there’s times where you need to speak and times you don’t. I talked to you guys in February? Whenever there’s something that needs to be said, it will come from Zach LaVine or my representation. There were a lot of thoughts and rumors and opinions about me, about the organization. So just know that whenever it needs to come from me or them, you’ll know it will be from them. Everything else you can take with a grain of salt, with false narratives or whatever it may be.’’

Does that mean the Bulls no longer are looking to trade LaVine? Absolutely not. A source said the front office will continue actively trying to move him.

The difference is LaVine, who admitted he has reacted emotionally to rumors in the past, is taking a new approach.

‘‘I don’t want to keep talking about the past or anything because there’s a lot of things I can’t speak on,’’ LaVine said. ‘‘There’s no reason to. I had a conversation when I first committed to the Bulls and signed my deal here with [COO] Michael [Reinsdorf], with [chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf], AK [executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas], the front office, the commitment they gave me, the respect they gave me. I’m going to continue to give them that same respect, but not just with the way I play but with my professionalism. That won’t waver. That’s something I stand on. So anything going forward, I think that’s how I’m going to answer it.’’

That stance likely will be tested.

LaVine has three years and nearly $138 million left on his deal, and the Bulls have been trying to deal him since the trade deadline in 2023. They were hoping to unload LaVine’s contract this summer but found a very sparse market.

Karnisovas tried to say the right things about LaVine’s future, but he wouldn’t commit to anything beyond the start of training camp.

‘‘We as an organization are going to be open to anything that comes our way, but Zach is part of this team, and I’m looking forward to seeing him in training camp,’’ Karnisovas said.

Karnisovas then was asked whether he still would be looking forward to seeing LaVine at the trade deadline in February 2025. After a pause, he responded: ‘‘He’s a big part of this team. He’s got to fit in with our plans and the way we want to play. As far as I know, he’s looking forward to that, as well.’’