Assuming he re-signs with the Bulls, as expected, LaVine will become the highest-paid athlete in Chicago sports history.
Jordan holds the previous mark for highest single-season salary at $33.14 million in 1997-98.
Next-highest is Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward, who made $28.167 million in 2017 and '18.
Third on the list will be DeMar DeRozan, who is set to earn $27.3 million this season, slightly ahead of Otto Porter's $27.25 million in 2019-20.
The expectation is the Bulls will offer LaVine a maximum contract, or very close to it.
There were reports Wednesday the NBA salary cap for 2022-23 will be set at $123.655 million, slightly higher than expected.
That means the maximum salary level will also rise, since it's tied to 30% of the salary cap.
A full max contract for a player in LaVine's category is roughly $215 million over five years. It would start at $39.1 million and top out at $48.97 million.
The pros and cons are pretty straightforward here: LaVine is a two-time all-star and the Bulls need to bring him back to have much chance of moving closer to Finals contention.
On the other hand, he's never received a single vote for MVP or an All-NBA team, and spent his first three years with the Bulls showing he needs a better team around him to succeed.
Will offering LaVine a max deal impede the chances of the Bulls building a good team around him? It might, but there are plenty of huge salaries around the NBA.
The increased salary cap will also give the Bulls more room to maneuver in free-agency.
Their primary means of adding players is the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, which should be worth around $10.5 million and can be split among multiple players.