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Bulls Notes: Ball, Future, Vucevic, Smith, Reinsdorf

October 18th, 2024 at 2:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls guard Lonzo Ball made his long-awaited return to the court on Wednesday and received a standing ovation from the United Center crowd when he checked in, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. Wednesday’s preseason victory over Minnesota marked Ball’s first official NBA game since January 14, 2022 — nearly three years ago (33 months).

“Felt a lot better playing than watching,” Ball said after the game. “I couldn’t even put it into words how it felt being out there. … It was definitely a moment I’ll never forget.”

Ball, who has battled chronic left knee soreness and underwent three surgeries since his last game, made an immediate impact in his return, recording 10 points (on 4-of-6 shooting), one rebound, one assist, one steal and one block in 15 minutes. He said he didn’t think about his knee “at all” during the game and he plans to suit up again in Friday’s preseason finale vs. Cleveland.

“My game is pretty simple,” Ball said, per Darnell Mayberry and Jenna West of The Athletic. “I know what I can do out there. It’s not too complicated. I’m going to go in, give good minutes and hopefully contribute to winning. All the instinctive plays, that’s not going to go anywhere. It’s more about the on-ball and getting over screens like I used to; getting that back. But off the ball, I feel comfortable.”

While it was a very encouraging return, Ball will be closely monitored throughout the season. He’ll likely be given regular rest days and will be on a minutes restriction for the foreseeable future.

“We have a good handle right now, but I think it’s going to change throughout the year,” Ball said, according to Collier. “Every day is going to be a different challenge we just have to overcome.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

If Ball can stay healthy and steadily increase his minutes, the former No. 2 overall pick could become a valuable trade target for a contending team, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times contends. Ball, who turns 27 years old later this month, is on an expiring $21.4MM contract, and the Bulls have a glut of guards on their roster, making his return somewhat awkward from a rotation standpoint, Cowley observes.
The Bulls have been playing at a much faster pace in the preseason compared to the past few seasons. Veteran center Nikola Vucevic isn’t known for his mobility, but he will remain in the starting lineup, with free agent addition Jalen Smith serving as his primary backup, Cowley writes for The Sun-Times. “We’ve done stuff in practice where we’ve mixed and matched teams,” head coach Billy Donovan said Wednesday. “We’ve moved guys around. We have done that. But I would envision Vooch starting and [Smith] backing him up. And then [Smith] gives us a little different dynamic in terms of the small-ball five.” Donovan added that the two big men could share the court together at times, as both are capable of stretching the floor.
The Athletic reported on Wednesday that Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf is open to selling MLB’s White Sox and is in active discussions with a prospective ownership group. Would a potential White Sox sale impact the Bulls? According to Cowley, the answer is a resounding no — Reinsdorf and his son Michael view the Bulls as a long-term family investment that will continue to grow in value over time.

Bulls Waive Onuralp Bitim, Kenneth Lofton Jr.

October 17th, 2024 at 10:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls have waived Onuralp Bitim and Kenneth Lofton Jr., the team tweets.

Bitim was battling for the last spot on the roster on a non-guaranteed contract. The 25-year-old would have received $350K if he had made the opening night roster. He underwent surgery for a detached retina in the spring.

Bitim began last season on a two-way contract but was promoted to Chicago’s standard roster in February. After making his NBA debut on February 22, he appeared in 22 total games for Chicago, averaging 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .381/.273/.800.

Lofton, who signed an Exhibit 10 contract in August, began last season on the Grizzlies’ 15-man roster, but was waived in December. He spent a couple months on a two-way deal with Philadelphia, then was waived again in March and signed a rest-of-season contract with the Jazz, who cut him before his ’24/25 salary became partially guaranteed.

Assuming Lofton isn’t claimed, he’ll receive a bonus worth $77.5K if he joins the G League’s Windy City Bulls and remains with them for at least 60 days.

The Bulls camp roster now stands at 18, including a pair of two-way players.

These moves would seemingly improve the chances of Talen Horton-Tucker making the roster. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract last month.

Central Notes: Ball, Giddey, Trent, Swider

October 16th, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls guard Lonzo Ball has undergone three arthroscopic procedures on his left knee since his last NBA game in January of 2022. With so much to overcome, Ball describes himself as “full of joy” to be returning to the court for tonight’s preseason contest with Minnesota, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.

“I think it’s the belief in myself — knowing what I was feeling, knowing that I was a good age to come back from it,” Ball said. “I’m just trusting in the doctors and people around me.”

Ball added that he never lost confidence in his ability to make a comeback, even though he had to consult with numerous knee specialists along the way. He received medical clearance to participate in five-on-five scrimmages in August and showed up a few weeks before training camp to work out with his teammates. He experienced some soreness in the knee, but no major setbacks, and the Bulls’ medical staff has developed a plan to regulate his workload as he gets used to playing an NBA schedule again. Ball will be limited to 16 minutes in tonight’s contest.

“It’s not the same body I started off with,” he said. “But I think I can still be productive and effective on the court. That’s why I’m still trying to play.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Josh Giddey is eligible for a rookie scale extension through Monday, but the Bulls will likely wait to see what he does this season before making a long-term commitment, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Giddey is off to a strong start in his first preseason with Chicago — averaging 11.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and five assists in just less than 23 minutes per night — but Cowley believes the Bulls want some evidence that they can build a title contender around Giddey and they’re more likely to wait and deal with him as a restricted free agent next summer.
Gary Trent Jr. looks ready to become the Bucks‘ next successful shooting guard, observes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Several shooters have benefited from the open space that comes from playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, and coach Doc Rivers is urging Trent to be ready to fire away. “If you have an open look, put it up,” Trent replied when asked about Rivers’ advice. “He communicated that to me and everybody on the team as well. Everybody has a certain green light, obviously with a certain amount of control and a certain thinking process, but other than that, it’s free flowing. Telling you to go out there, play hard, let it fly and let it fly. Just make sure it’s a good shot.”
Cole Swider seems like a good bet to make the Pacers‘ roster after Kendall Brown was waived Tuesday, but it’s not certain that he’ll receive a standard contract, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Indiana could decide to open up a two-way slot for Swider, who is in camp on a non-guaranteed deal.

Matas Buzelis Impressing Coaches, Teammates

October 15th, 2024 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls lottery pick Matas Buzelis is impressing coaches and teammates alike this fall as he gears up for his rookie season, according to Kyle Williams and Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Head coach Billy Donovan referred to Buzelis as having “tremendous upside” and appreciated the fact that the first-round pick has expressed a willingness to do whatever it takes to get better — including possibly spending time in the G League. On Monday, the 20-year-old didn’t shy away from matching up against Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on either end of the court. “He’s not scared of anyone or any moment, and I think for a guy to come into the league like that, have that confidence, it’s huge for him,” Bulls guard Josh Giddey said. “It’s easy for rookies to be shy, not take on challenges, but credit to him. (He’s a) very talented kid, and he’s going to have a helluva career in the NBA.”

Bulls’ Lonzo Ball Expected To Play On Wednesday

October 14th, 2024 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball, who last played in an NBA game on January 14, 2022, is expected to return to the court and make his preseason debut on Wednesday vs. Minnesota, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link).

Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that the Bulls and Ball were targeting Wednesday for his return. Chicago will also be in action on Monday vs. the Bucks, but the former No. 2 overall pick has been ruled out for that contest.

After signing a four-year contract with the Bulls during the summer of 2020, Ball was able to play in just 35 games during his first season in Chicago before going down as a result of knee problems that have necessitated three separate surgeries since 2022.

The veteran guard, who will turn 27 later this month, experienced setbacks after each of the first two procedures, but underwent a rare cartilage transplant surgery in 2023 that he believes addressed the issue in his knee.

According to Mayberry (Twitter links), while Ball dealt with some soreness recently and was held out of the club’s shootaround on Saturday, the Bulls remain optimistic that he’ll be able to suit up for each of their last two preseason games — on Wednesday vs. the Timberwolves and on Friday against Cleveland.

“He’s done really, really well,” head coach Billy Donovan said of Ball’s progress this month (Twitter link via Mayberry). “He’s been out there and he’s played. And he’s been effective playing. I think his timing’s coming back.”

Ball was a difference-maker when he was healthy, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per game while providing strong defense and making 42.3% of his three-pointers in his first season in Chicago.

The Bulls aren’t counting on him to get back to that level and have plenty of other options in a crowded backcourt that also includes Zach LaVine, Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu, among others. However, if he can stay healthy and be productive in a part-time role, it would be a very encouraging sign for the team and for Ball himself as he nears the end of his contract.

Assuming he plays out the remainder of his current deal, which will pay him approximately $21.4MM this season, Ball will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Phillips, Dosunmu, Williams, Buzelis

October 13th, 2024 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls haven’t been able to generate much interest since putting Zach LaVine on the trade market last fall, but maybe they’re better off keeping him. LaVine looked like a dominant scorer again Saturday night, pouring in 28 points in 22 minutes while making all six of his three-point attempts, writes Sam Smith of NBA.com.

“Zach was really decisive,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He took his shots when they were there. What was encouraging on the threes, there was no hesitation; he just went up and shot it. He got off to a great start, shot unbelievable from three. He can get on a run. He can go 0-for-4 and then come back and make 6-for-6, so I never worry (if he’s missing). I thought he was really decisive, and when he had daylight and a crack he shot it. We need him to do that. When he’s got a head of steam, his athletic ability and his ability to shoot the ball and put it on the floor, he’s really hard to guard. He is one of the better open floor players in transition.”

LaVine played just 25 games last season, so any potential trade interest was cooled by concerns over his physical condition, along with a contract that will pay him $43MM this year, $46MM next season and has a $49MM player option for 2026/27. However, he can still be very valuable if’s fully healthy, which it appears he may be. Smith states that LaVine displayed “quick twitch speed and easy motion” that hasn’t been part of his game for the past two years.

There’s more from Chicago:

Second-year small forward Julian Phillips also made an impact on Saturday, scoring 21 points and hitting 5-of-8 shots from beyond the arc, Smith adds. He displayed chemistry with new point guard Josh Giddey, and Smith suggests he might be the catch-and-shoot option the team has been looking for. “Julian, he’s been really good,” Donovan said. “He had some good drives and (he) didn’t have to go up in traffic, but he’s played really, really well. He’s a good cutter, very active on the glass and he’s shot the ball well. I don’t think that was a fluke tonight. I feel very comfortable with him shooting the basketball.”
The Bulls suffered two notable injuries Saturday night, but neither appears serious. Ayo Dosunmu got a shoulder stinger while diving for a loose ball, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). He wanted to return to the game, but trainers wouldn’t let him. Patrick Williams left the game after jamming his wrist, but X-rays taken at halftime were negative, Johnson tweets.
In an interview with Spencer Davies of Responsible Gambler, rookie Matas Buzelis said he doesn’t regret his decision to play for G League Ignite instead of developing his game in college. “They showed me the NBA schedule you’ve got to follow, they showed me how to play against NBA players, they showed me how to compete, and [I had] NBA coaching and training,” Buzelis said. “But they really instilled a lot of stuff in me about the NBA, so I feel like I have a slight advantage walking into my rookie year.”

Bulls Sign, Waive Javon Freeman-Liberty

October 12th, 2024 at 7:12pm CST by Rory Maher

7:12pm: The Bulls waived Freeman-Liberty shortly after signing him, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. Assuming he has Exhibit 10 language in his contract, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Windy City in the G League.

10:26am: Free agent guard Javon Freeman-Liberty has signed a contract with the Bulls, according to RealGM’s official log of NBA transactions. He also appears on the team’s roster page.

By process of elimination, it appears Freeman-Liberty signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal with Chicago, likely with Exhibit 10 language.

Players who sign Exhibit 9 or Exhibit 10 contracts don’t appear on NBA.com’s official transactions log, but RealGM does track those deals. Exhibit 9/10 players only show up on NBA.com’s log when they’ve been waived (Miller Kopp is a recent example).

Freeman-Liberty, who turns 25 years old next week, signed with Turkish club Manisa Basket last month, but he decided to leave the team, which later announced he’d be continuing his career with the Bulls.

A Chicago native who went undrafted in 2022 out of DePaul, Freeman-Liberty spent his rookie season with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate.

The 6’4″ guard was on a two-way contract with the Raptors for most of the 2023/24 campaign before being promoted to the standard roster on March 1. Although his contract with Toronto covered two years, his salary for ’24/25 was partially guaranteed for just $100K, so he was waived in July before that partial guarantee increased.

Freeman-Liberty appeared in 22 games at the NBA level with Toronto, averaging 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18.3 minutes per night. He put up much bigger numbers with the Raptors 905 in the NBAGL, including 24.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, and a shooting line of .470/.360/.825 in 26 Showcase Cup and regular season outings.

Despite joining the Bulls late in the offseason, there could be a legitimate pathway for Freeman-Liberty to make the 18-man regular season roster. Chicago appears to be having a competition for its 15th standard roster spot, as well as its third two-way slot.

The Bulls currently have 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, with Adama Sanogo and DJ Steward on two-way deals. Freeman-Liberty, Talen Horton-Tucker, E.J. Liddell, Kenneth Lofton Jr., and Onuralp Bitim on are all on non-guaranteed contracts. Of that latter group, only Horton-Tucker is ineligible for a two-way contract.

Chicago’s offseason roster is now full, with 21 players under contract.

Bulls Notes: Ball, Rose, Dosunmu, LaVine

October 11th, 2024 at 7:51pm CST by Rory Maher

On his podcast, the WAE show (Twitter video link), Bulls guard Lonzo Ball said he plans to play in two of the team’s final three preseason contests. As Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune notes (via Twitter), that means Ball expects to make his preseason debut either next Monday in Milwaukee or Wednesday vs. Minnesota.

It’s been a long road back for Ball, who has missed the past two-and-a-half seasons due to a knee injury that required three surgeries. The former No. 2 overall pick will be a free agent next summer, as he’s on an expiring $21.4MM contract.

Here are a few more notes from Chicago:

Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose announced his retirement as a player last month. On Friday, the Bulls announced they’ll hold a “Derrick Rose Night” on January 4 vs. the Knicks. However, the team won’t be retiring his No. 1 jersey during the halftime ceremony, according to Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Still, as Poe observes, no player has worn that jersey number since Rose departed the Bulls in 2016, so it’s possible the Chicago native could see his jersey hang in the rafters of the United Center in the future.
The Bulls’ starting lineup — Josh Giddey, Coby White, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic — doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence on the defensive end. Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times suggests one workaround could be taking LaVine out early in favor of Ayo Dosunmu, which is something the Bulls did the past few seasons with DeMar DeRozan. Dosunmu would provide point-of-attack defense to pair with the other four starters, and staggering LaVine’s minutes would enable him to serve as the primary scorer with the reserves, Cowley notes.
Head coach Billy Donovan says LaVine looks fully recovered from a foot injury that limited him to 25 games last season, per Cowley. “I think he’s practiced really well,” Donovan said. “I don’t think I could say that the last couple of years, and I don’t think it was necessarily because of him not wanting to practice well. I think a lot of times he was coming out of an injury. Seeing him in September and some of this August, I felt like this is about as good as I’ve seen him physically in a couple of years.”

Bulls Notes: Backcourt, Ball, LaVine, Buzelis, Freeman-Liberty

October 9th, 2024 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

Will there be enough minutes to go around for all the players in the Bulls‘ backcourt this season? Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times explores that question, noting that guards Coby White, Zach LaVine, Josh Giddey, and Ayo Dosunmu all figure to have regular roles, with Lonzo Ball, Dalen Terry, Jevon Carter, and Chris Duarte also vying for minutes.

“I think it’s going to be a hard situation from the standpoint of these guys are all highly competitive, work really hard in the offseason to get themselves ready to play,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “And quite honestly in some of these situations with the way our team is, they just may not get that opportunity. I’m not saying it’s Jevon, Chris or Dalen or whoever it is. We’ve got to see how camp plays out.

“We’ve obviously had to deal with the injuries with Josh and Lonzo, but there’s no question that with the number of guards there, I think we’ll have to play with three guards. I think Ayo is a really, really good perimeter defender, who he’s paired with, try and match someone with that. I agree, someone is going to be sitting. We’re not able to play them all.”

The Bulls started three guards in their preseason opener vs. Cleveland on Tuesday, with White, LaVine, and Giddey joining Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic in the starting five. As Donovan notes, that look seems likely to carry over into the regular season.

Here’s more out of Chicago:

After spending over a year recovering from his latest knee surgery, Ball wasn’t available for the Bulls’ preseason opener on Tuesday. However, that wasn’t because of his knee, Cowley writes in a separate Sun-Times story. As Cowley explains, Ball dealt with a “nasty” case of COVID just before camp began, which left him several days behind in workouts. He’s still in the process of “getting his strength back,” according to Donovan.
Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune shares six takeaways from the Bulls’ preseason opener, writing that LaVine looked comfortable in his return from foot surgery and that lottery pick Matas Buzelis flashed intriguing potential in his first NBA game. However, acknowledging that one preseason game isn’t enough to draw any definitive conclusions, Poe also notes that Tuesday’s game did nothing to assuage concerns about the team’s potential defensive shortcomings.
After reporting earlier this week indicated that guard Javon Freeman-Liberty was leaving Manisa Basket for the NBA, the Turkish club confirmed the news, publishing an Instagram post that wished Freeman-Liberty luck in the next phase of his career “with the Chicago Bulls.” As Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets, FIBA clearance is still required before the guard can officially finalize his new deal with Chicago. It’s unclear whether Freeman-Liberty left Manisa simply to sign a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract with the Bulls or if he’ll get a standard or two-way deal that offers more assurances.

And-Ones: G League Trades, Charania, Breakout Candidates, More

October 8th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of teams have acquired the G League rights for players who are in camp with them on Exhibit 10 contracts.

The Wisconsin Herd (Bucks) sent Marquese Chriss‘ rights and a 2025 first-round pick to the Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans) in exchange for Liam Robbins‘ rights (Twitter link), while the Raptors 905 are receiving Jared Rhoden‘s rights from the College Park Skyhawks (Hawks) in exchange for the rights to Omari Moore and a 2025 first-rounder (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sportsnet).

Robbins is currently on Milwaukee’s preseason roster, while Rhoden is under contract with Toronto.

In other G League trade news, the Austin Spurs announced (via Twitter) that they’ve sent the returning rights for Yauhen Massalski to the San Diego Clippers in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick, while the Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers) acquired Elijah Hughes‘ rights from the Wisconsin Herd (Bucks) in exchange for the rights to Sam Merrill and a 2025 second-rounder.

Trading away Merrill’s returning rights won’t mean anything for the Cavaliers as long as he remains on Cleveland’s NBA roster, but if he were to be waived down the road, the Bucks’ affiliate would have first dibs on him as a G Leaguer.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Shams Charania, who has spent the past few years with The Athletic, is making the move to ESPN to replace Adrian Wojnarowski as the network’s senior NBA insider, Charania announced on Twitter. Recent reporting suggested that ESPN news-breakers currently covering other sports – including Jeff Passan (MLB) or Adam Schefter (NFL) – were among the candidates being considered to replace Wojnarowski, but Charania was always the more logical choice, given his lengthy history of major NBA scoops.
In an Insider-only story for ESPN, Jeremy Woo identifies 11 players he believes are prime breakout candidates in 2024/25. Woo’s 11 candidates fall into four groups: players who could make the leap to an All-Star level, such as Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley; players who could ascend to borderline All-Stars, like Hawks forward Jalen Johnson; players who will benefit from taking on larger roles, including Bulls guard Josh Giddey; and role players who could make bigger impacts, such as Kings guard Keon Ellis.
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports predicts the 10 players most likely to be traded in 2024/25, ranging from big names like Brandon Ingram and Zach LaVine to role players such as Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas. Three of the players in Helin’s top 10 – Bojan Bogdanovic, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Cameron Johnson – are currently members of the Nets.