DECEMBER 22: The contract is official, according to NBA.com’s transactions page.
DECEMBER 21: The Bulls have agreed to sign free agent forward Ersan Ilyasova to a 10-day contract using a hardship exception, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link).
The shorthanded Bulls, who currently have six players in the health and safety protocols, have already added Alfonzo McKinnie as a replacement player and will reportedly sign Mac McClung as well. The hardship signings won’t count toward the team’s 15-man roster limit, so no corresponding moves are necessary.
Ilyasova, 34, has an extensive NBA résumé, having appeared in 825 regular season games and another 52 playoff contests since making his debut in 2006. However, he didn’t sign until March last season and played a limited role down the stretch for the Jazz, averaging just 3.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 17 games (8.7 MPG).
The former second-round pick out of Turkey is known as a stretch four, having made 36.7% of his career attempts from beyond the arc.
Ilyasova will earn $151,821 over the course of his 10-day contract, but it won’t count against the Bulls’ team salary for cap or tax purposes.
Sniper alert
I would have sworn he was over 40.
He’s the only player on the bulls older than me, and I’m just happy about that, however I can see him gettin a true shot as a backup Vuc type guy, stretch big man and the bulls have very much missed this type of player on the second unit, that being said who the hell knows what my boy has left
Definitely got more left than Matt Thomas ever had.