ATLANTA — Bulls guard Zach LaVine always has been comfortable in his own skin.
Being comfortable in his standing with his team is where things have gotten dicey.
Whether it’s because the Bulls let him hit the market as a restricted free agent in 2018, took their time in deciding whether they wanted to offer him a max contract in 2022 or have floated his name in trade rumors for more than two years since, LaVine’s relationship with them is complicated, to say the least.
And now he knows that if and when the Bulls get any sort of trade offer for him that makes sense for them, he’ll be gone.
But LaVine has come to peace with all of it. Even more impressive, making sure the Bulls succeed in whatever direction they want to go is still his top priority.
‘‘I don’t think you ever lower expectations,’’ LaVine said. ‘‘You go into each game trying to win, regardless. I don’t care if you have the lowest expectations on the totem pole, we’re trying to win games — at least I am. I’m not here trying to throw no games. Been in Chicago for years. We’re not trying to lose games.
‘‘But understanding the situation we’re in with the guys, we’re trying to develop dudes, as well. You know, how can the veteran guys put their footprint into the game and help us win but also help raise these guys’ level of play?’’
According to one teammate, LaVine has been as mentally dialed in as he has been the last few seasons and has emerged as a real leader.
Leadership hasn’t always come naturally to LaVine. It almost was forced on him during the final years of the John Paxson/Gar Forman regime. But whether it was being around veterans such as DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso the last few seasons or just reaching a point of maturity on and off the court, the consensus in the locker room is that LaVine is ‘‘that guy’’ with his voice and his actions.
The Bulls’ victory Saturday against the Hawks, in which they rallied from an 18-point deficit, reflected that.
LaVine took what the game gave him, scoring 18 points, handing out seven assists and playing the role of closer in the fourth quarter. On top of that, he frequently was matched up against Hawks guard Trae Young defensively and helped limit him to 6-for-16 shooting from the field.
He played like a guy who really cared.
But there’s another side of this. LaVine and center Nikola Vucevic know the Bulls are looking to trade them, and it likely would be to a contender once the market shifts closer to the trade deadline in February. They can help their own cause by playing the game the right way.
That doesn’t mean either has to go out of his way to make sure the locker room is in a good place when they’re gone, but — by all accounts — they have been putting in the work to make sure it is.
All the while, both players know that once the Bulls get to the midway point of the season, rotations and minutes might change in an effort to make sure the team keeps its top-10-protected first-round draft pick out of the Spurs’ hands next summer.
‘‘No, it’s not hard,’’ LaVine said when he was asked about keeping the right mindset. ‘‘It’s understanding. If you’re not understanding what you’re coming into, then it’s hard. I have the right mindset right now of understanding what the game needs from me today. . . . Just try and do the right thing.’’