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Central Notes: Portis, Pistons, White, Carter

August 27th, 2023 at 1:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bucks reserve big man Bobby Portis recently spoke about his experience playing on the FIBA World Cup roster for Team USA, as Aris Barkas of Eurohoops writes.

Portis reflected on how this year’s iteration of Team USA hopes to improve on its 2019 predecessor’s No. 7 finish in the most recent World Cup.

“This is a totally different team, not one guy who played in that FIBA World Cup team is on this team and we are just trying to re-identify ourselves, play for each other, play for the name in front of the jersey and that’s the biggest things in those tournaments,” Portis said.

Portis went on to acknowledge that he has something of an international following, especially from the fans of Team USA’s next scheduled opponent, Team Greece, thanks to his Milwaukee comrades Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo.

“Giannis and Thanasis are like my brothers and, during the season, I go through my social media and I see tons of fans from Greece, tagging me in photos, DMing me, so it’s pretty cool to see fans from all over the world being fans of myself,” Portis said.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

After several lottery-bound seasons, the Pistons are hoping to take a leap with a talented young roster. Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press identifies five Detroit players who – to his mind – have the most to prove in 2023/24, including 2021 No. 1 draft pick Cade Cunningham, who missed most of last season due to an injury; recently re-signed big man Isaiah Stewart; and former top-10 selections Killian Hayes and James Wiseman.
With Coby White now re-signed to a lucrative, multi-year contract, and 3-and-D Chicago native Jevon Carter also in the fold, the Bulls will have a major positional battle for their starting point guard role when training camp tips off, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley notes that White may have a bit of an edge thanks to his built-in chemistry with his teammates, most notably another re-signed Bull, center Nikola Vucevic, in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop actions.
In case you missed it, Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball expressed his belief that he will, at some point, return to the hardwood. Ball has been sidelined since January 2022 with a knee injury, and three surgeries later, he has already been ruled out for the entirety of the 2023/24 season.

Lonzo Ball: “I’m Going To Play Again”

August 27th, 2023 at 10:31am CST by Arthur Hill

Lonzo Ball made his strongest comments about his NBA future on Saturday, vowing that he’ll overcome his knee issues and eventually return to the league, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. The Bulls guard was at Invest Fest in Atlanta to promote Big Baller Brand, but he also addressed the injury that will cause him to miss another full season.

“Life is not easy,” Ball told the gathering. “If you want to get the most out of it, you gotta put your best foot forward. If you’re going to get knocked down, you gotta get back up every time if you want to keep going. You can always quit and take the easy way out and pout and go to the side. But for me, if you’re trying to get to a place where I want to get to, you just gotta get back up, dust off and keep going. I’m going to play again.”

Ball sat out all of last season because of the knee and hasn’t played since midway through 2021/22. He underwent cartilage transplant surgery in March, and he and the team have said that he won’t be available for at least another year.

Chicago received a $10.23MM disabled player exception for Ball, but Johnson points out that it will be difficult for the team to use it. The Bulls are already close to the $165.3MM tax threshold, with Carlik Jones and Terry Taylor both holding non-guaranteed contracts. The team can’t exceed its $172.3MM hard cap.

Ball will make $20.5MM this season, and he has a $21.4MM player option for 2024/25. That decision is due by late June, but it’s virtually certain that he’ll pick it up considering his physical condition.

Also at Invest Fest, Ball addressed his dispute this week with ESPN host Stephen A. Smith. After Ball said on Trae Young‘s podcast that he expects to play again, Smith claimed that Ball isn’t even able to get out of a chair.

“The outside noise doesn’t bother me,” Ball said. “The Stephen A. thing, he has a wide platform. And to me, I just don’t appreciate when people put out fake news like that, especially someone of his stature that can touch a lot of people. For me, I know what I gotta do to get back. And I’m just on a path doing what I gotta do every day, taking it step-by-step. I don’t look too far ahead. I know in my near future that I will be back on the court for sure.”

World Cup Notes: Neto, Jones, Doncic, Bogdanovic

August 26th, 2023 at 12:03pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Brazilian guard Raul Neto ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee during Brazil’s 2023 FIBA World Cup opener against Iran, Eurohoops.net reports. Neto will miss the rest of the World Cup.

It’s a brutal blow for Neto, who recently signed overseas with Turkish club Fenerbahce. In a recent interview with Eurohoops, the veteran spoke about his excitement for joining one of the top overseas clubs. Neto, who played in the NBA from 2015-23, didn’t rule out a return stateside, but said he was a bit disappointed not to receive a contract offer.

Neto averaged 8.7 points per game with the Wizards in 2020/21. After leaving Washington in 2022, he signed with the Cavaliers, where he spent all of last year, but he didn’t play much.

“I just think that the NBA season… it’s very hard if you aren’t a role player,” Neto said. “It’s hard on you. You don’t play much.”

Neto, 31, was hoping that his time with Fenerbahce would allow him to see the floor more and show that he’s still got his guard skills, according to his interview with Eurohoops. However, this recent injury puts his time with Fenerbahce in doubt. Patellar tendon ruptures typically take six-to-12 months to recover from, so it’s safe to say that Neto’s ’23/24 season is in jeopardy.

The Brazilian guard was poised to be a significant part of not only Brazil’s national team, but also Fenerbahce, as he was essentially signed to replace Nick Calathes.

We have more World Cup notes:

Bulls guard Carlik Jones, playing with South Sudan in the World Cup, put up a record-breaking performance in the team’s opening loss to Puerto Rico. Jones recorded 38 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and four steals in the defeat, hitting four of his nine attempts from downtown. According to HoopsHype, that is the best scoring mark for any African national team at the World Cup. He also recorded the first 30-point, 10-assist game in tournament history. This was South Sudan’s World Cup debut. Jones is signed to a non-guaranteed deal for the Bulls — it becomes partially guaranteed for $250K if he makes the opening-night roster.
Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic made a statement in Slovenia’s opening game of the World Cup, putting up 37 points in their matchup with Venezuela. Doncic’s 37 points were a tournament high briefly before Jones had his record-setting performance. Former NBA center Mike Tobey had a terrific game for Slovenia, putting up 21 points on 9 of 9 shooting.
Serbia’s World Cup experience has been a roller coaster so far. While the team blew out China 105-63, it also lost center Filip Petrusev due to injury. Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is one of the leaders on Serbia’s team and spoke about its World Cup experience thus far in a recent interview with Eurohoops. “We expect the next two games to be much harder than the first against China. They’re both experienced teams, with a lot of good players,” he said of the schedule. Serbia takes on South Sudan and Puerto Rico next. In the interview, Bogdanovic talked about his main goal for the World Cup, which is to qualify for the Olympics and medal in the event.
In case you missed it, we had more World Cup notes on Friday.

Bulls Notes: Ball, Eversley, DeRozan, Williams

August 21st, 2023 at 10:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lonzo Ball has confirmed he’ll miss the 2023/24 season, but the Bulls point guard expressed optimism that he’ll eventually overcome his knee issues and return to action, he said on the “From the Point by Trae Young podcast” (hat tip to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago).

Ball underwent cartilage transplant surgery in March.

“I just had a really big surgery—hopefully, the last one I ever have to get. It’s a long process. I’m already out this whole next season,” Ball said. “When I first got hurt, we didn’t really know what it was. I was seeing all type of different doctors and stuff. I was just kind of going up and down. That was really hard for me because I just didn’t know what the next day was going to be like. At least now, I got the surgery. We got a plan moving forward. We’ve been on plan. I’m on track.”

Chicago has already been granted a disabled player exception worth $10.23MM due to Ball’s inability to play in 2023/24.

We have more on the Bulls:

While many observers believe the Bulls’ current core group has a limited ceiling, general manager Marc Eversley says the front office has faith in the roster they’ve assembled. “I think for us as a front office, how we see our ceiling may be different than others,” he told Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “And the way we have operated is we’re going to operate this with our beliefs. We’ve all been to different places. We’ve seen what success looks like. We can’t run this operation based on what people may think the outcome may be. We trust each other.”
In the same interview, Eversley said they’d like to work out another contract agreement with DeMar DeRozan, who is heading into his walk year. “I would love DeMar to be part of this program long term. Let’s see how that plays out and what that looks like going forward,” he said. “When those conversations take place, we’ll speak about that more when that happens. But we hope Deebo’s back. He’s been an integral part of this program’s success. We hope he is here long term.” DeRozan will remain extension-eligible through next June 30.
Eversley also appeared on the Bulls Talk Podcast and hinted that the front office is taking a wait-and-see approach regarding power forward Patrick Williams‘ future, according to Johnson. Williams is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason. “He has shown flashes over the first three years. I want to see him show more instances of flashes, more consistent,” Eversley said. “He’s got it in him. A lot of that comes with growth off of the court. And I can tell you he’s starting to grow. He’s starting to get it. It’s starting to click. And when he puts it together—and he will put it together—we might have something special.”

Torrey Craig To Bring “More Edge” To Bulls

August 21st, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls landed Torrey Craig in free agency this summer, but it wasn’t their first attempt to sign the defensive-minded forward. In an appearance on the Bulls Talk podcast, Craig tells K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago that he had previous discussions with executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas.

“Actually, the last couple free agencies, me and AK have been talking. And we just couldn’t get it done,” Craig said. “We kind of knew what kind of pieces he wanted and what (free agent addition Jevon Carter and I) could bring and what kind of team we had the potential to be, especially with the guys who are already here. We want to be one of those tough, hard-nosed, defensive-minded, competitive teams all year round.”

Johnson notes that Karnisovas worked for the Nuggets when Craig got his first NBA opportunity in 2017. After playing three seasons in Australia, Craig joined Denver’s Summer League team. He was able to earn a two-way contract and then signed a standard deal the following offseason.

Craig went on to establish himself as a valuable NBA player, starting 60 games last season with the Suns. Entering free agency for the third time in four years, he was finally able to agree to terms with Chicago, signing a two-year, $5.4MM deal that includes a player option for the second season.

“That’s all I needed to get my foot in the door,” Craig said of his Summer League experience with the Nuggets. “Ever since, I’ve just been making a name for myself and trying to impact winning on every team I’ve been on. And I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that.”

Craig sees parallels between his Phoenix team and the Bulls, who have a pair of elite scorers in Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. He has made a career out of guarding that type of player and said he can offer tips to both LaVine and DeRozan about what defenders are trying to make them do.

Craig plans to fill the same role in Chicago that he did with the Suns, focusing on defense, rebounding and making life easier for the stars. He also hopes to bring a more aggressive attitude to the team.

“I was telling Coach (Billy Donovan) one day, just watching the games and seeing how much talent they had and some of the games they would lose and seeing how I could contribute and bring a little bit more toughness, a little bit more edge, a little bit more competitiveness to some of those games to be more consistent,” Craig said. “That definitely played a factor in my decision to come here.”

DeRozan Ranks As Most Valuable Trade Asset

August 20th, 2023 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DeMar DeRozan ranks as the Bulls’ most valuable trade asset among the team’s core group of players, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times opines. DeRozan, a highly-respected veteran scorer with an expiring contract, could be a hot property for a team with championship aspirations. Nikola Vucevic, despite the fact he signed an extension, could bring more in a deal at the trade deadline than Zach LaVine because of his more affordable contract, Cowley writes.
In a separate story, Cowley weighs in on five key games for the Bulls during this upcoming season. The last of the games on his list is the April 1 contest with the Hawks, who played three highly entertaining, hotly-contested games with Chicago last season.

Bulls GM Says Keeping Nikola Vucevic Was “No. 1 Goal”

August 19th, 2023 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls were determined to re-sign their free agents this summer and center Nikola Vucevic was the top priority, general manager Marc Eversley told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

Appearing on the Bulls Talk podcast, Eversley discussed the need for continuity, especially regarding Vucevic, who has been with Chicago since a trade deadline deal in 2021. Vucevic opted to forgo free agency and accepted a three-year, $60MM extension.

“I’m excited for Vooch,” Eversley said. “There’s not many starting centers in the NBA. So if Vooch were to go away, how would you replace him? Those options were just not appealing to us. So retaining him became the No. 1 goal of the offseason.”

Vucevic will turn 33 in October, but he’s coming off a productive season. He played 82 games for the first time in his career and averaged 17.6 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per night while shooting 52% from the floor and 34.9% from beyond the arc.

The Bulls also re-signed guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, setting up a battle for playing time in a crowded backcourt. They added Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig as well to cap off a productive free agent session.

On the first night of free agency, White committed to a three-year, $36MM deal that could reach $40MM with incentives. He’s coming off the worst scoring season of his career at 9.7 PPG, but the Bulls are happy with other parts of his game.

“Coby White had, I thought, a terrific year last year. I think the growth he has shown over the last three years has been second to nobody on the roster,” Eversley said. “I think his ability to shoot (and) he’s much more comfortable handling it now. He doesn’t get pressured or panic anymore.

“He has found his voice in the locker room. He has become a quiet leader. We’ve seen growth and development from him. And that’s why it was critical to bring him back.”

Dosunmu, who started 51 games in his second NBA season, signed a three-year, $21MM contract as a restricted free agent. He earned second-team All-Rookie honors in 2022, but experienced a decline in his three-point shooting last season.

“He would not argue with me; he didn’t have quite the second year he thought he might’ve,” Eversley said. “Call it a sophomore slump. But we’ve seen him in the Advocate Center and how hard he has worked from the end of the season to today and there’s nothing but good things that are going to happen to him.”

Taylor Might Be Final Offseason Move

August 18th, 2023 at 9:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Re-signing forward Terry Taylor to a two-year, minimum-salary contract might be the final offseason move for the Bulls, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Having Taylor and Carlik Jones on non-guaranteed deals creates financial flexibility for the Bulls, who now have 15 players on standard deals and all three two-way slots filled, Johnson notes. It’s worth noting that Chicago is virtually certain to add some players on Exhibit 10 deals ahead of training camp, though those are often geared more toward filling out the G League roster.

Contract Details: Hart, T. Taylor, Mavericks

August 16th, 2023 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

Josh Hart‘s four-year extension with the Knicks, previously reported to include a fourth-year team option, has very straightforward terms, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes.

The deal, which begins at $18,144,000 (the maximum 40% raise on Hart’s $12.96MM salary for 2023/24) is fully guaranteed for the first three seasons and doesn’t include any performances bonuses.

The only detail slightly different than anticipated is that the annual raise between years one and two isn’t quite for the full 8%, so Hart’s four-year total is approximately $80.9MM instead of $81.3MM. The guaranteed portion of the contract extension comes in at $58.54MM.

Begley believes the contract will ultimately be judged based on how healthy Hart stays over the next few years and how much success the Knicks have during that time, since the forward seems unlikely to significantly improve his production in any specific area. The average annual value of Hart’s deal lands between the new contracts signed by Dillon Brooks and Caris LeVert, Begley notes.

Here are a few more details on recently completed NBA contracts:

Terry Taylor‘s new deal with the Bulls is a two-year, minimum-salary contract, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. It’s currently non-guaranteed, but Taylor would receive a partial guarantee worth $350K if he lasts through the first day of the regular season. That partial guarantee would increase to $700K if he remains under contract through December 15, Hoops Rumors has learned. Taylor would be assured of his full salary for 2023/24 if he isn’t waived by the league-wide guarantee date in January and would receive his full ’24/25 salary if he isn’t waived on or before July 7, 2024.
The trio of players signed by the Mavericks on Monday – Greg Brown, Joe Wieskamp, and Jordan Walker – all received Exhibit 10 contracts, Hoops Rumors has learned. All three will receive bonuses worth $75K if they’re waived before the season and then spend at least 60 days with Dallas’ G League affiliate.
In case you missed it, Jordan Miller‘s two-way contract with the Clippers covers two seasons, as we relayed on Tuesday evening. Miller is one of seven players to sign a two-year two-way deal this summer, as our tracker shows.

Bulls Re-Sign Forward Terry Taylor

August 14th, 2023 at 7:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls have signed restricted two-way free agent Terry Taylor to a standard contract, the team tweets.

Taylor had been just one of four restricted two-way free agents who remained unsigned, as our free agent tracker shows.

The 23-year-old was waived by the Pacers after being thrown into the four-team Kevin Durant blockbuster at February’s trade deadline. The Bulls signed him to a two-way deal later that month.

Taylor appeared in 59 games with Indiana over the past two seasons, including nine starts, after going undrafted in 2021 out of Austin Peay. The 6’4” player, listed as a forward despite his height, came off the bench in five games for Chicago. Overall, he has averaged 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.3 minutes during his 64-game NBA career. He also appeared in eight G League contests last season.

The addition of Taylor gives the Bulls 15 players on standard contracts, though Carlik Jones has a non-guaranteed contract and Taylor’s deal also seems unlikely to be fully guaranteed.