OCTOBER 19: Liddell’s conversion to a two-way contract is now official, the Bulls announced in a press release.
OCTOBER 18: The Bulls are converting E.J. Liddell‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Chicago currently has an open two-way spot, so no corresponding move will be necessary to promote Liddell.
An Illinois native who starred in college at Ohio State, Liddell was selected with the 41st pick of the 2022 draft. Unfortunately, he missed his entire first season with the Pelicans after tearing his ACL in Summer League, but the team kept him on a two-way deal for the 2022/23 campaign.
Liddell, a 6’7″ forward, was promoted to a multiyear standard deal in July 2023. He spent most of last season in the G League, only making eight NBA appearances for 23 total minutes with New Orleans in ’23/24.
Liddell was traded twice during the offseason, first to Atlanta in the Dejounte Murray deal, then to Phoenix in a salary dump by the Suns (former first-rounder David Roddy was sent to Atlanta). Phoenix subsequently waived Liddell, making him a free agent until he signed a training camp deal with Chicago.
Since the Bulls didn’t release anyone, they still have 18 players under contract, which is the regular season limit.
As we previously relayed, it seems like the team plans to keep Talen Horton-Tucker into the regular season after waiving Onuralp Bitim and Kenneth Lofton, though that could change before Monday’s final cut-down deadline. Horton-Tucker, who has been a standout in preseason, was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal but is ineligible for a two-way contract due to having five years of NBA experience.
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