Bulls Rumors

Eastern Notes: Quickley, Holiday, D-Lo, Harris, Dosunmu

March 3rd, 2025 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The five-year, $162.5MM contract that Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley signed in free agency last July was viewed by several fans and analysts at the time as an overpay. It hasn’t become any more team-friendly over the course of this season as Quickley has battled one injury after another and has seen his production decline a little even when he’s been healthy.

However, the 25-year-old provided a reminder in Sunday’s win over Orlando of what he’s capable of, scoring 17 of his team-high 24 points (and handing out a pair of assists) during a five-minute barrage at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth to help seal the victory, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. While Quickley was happy about his performance, he disagreed with the notion that it will help build confidence for him going forward, Grange adds.

“Confidence is also a choice, a decision,” Quickley said. “Mindset is choice, confidence is choice. I try not to think like that. That’s how I used to think early in my career. And I’ve kind found out elite players don’t think like that. They don’t think that good plays give them confidence, or bad plays don’t give them confidence. Confidence is a choice. You choose confidence.”

It has been a fairly forgettable season overall for Quickley, but the Raptors remain confident that he can be an elite point guard, according to Grange, who notes that Sunday’s outburst was one of the few times this year that he has looked the part.

“That stretch in the third (and fourth) quarter, he was our engine,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He was getting us organized, he was touching the paint, he was scoring. He did a lot for us there and he was really efficient, everything came on the move, everything came with a minimum number of dribbles and when he plays that way, efficiently, it’s good for the whole team.”

Here’s more from around the East:

Veteran guard Jrue Holiday has missed the Celtics‘ past two games due to an injury known as mallet finger. Although his right pinky finger is technically broken, Holiday won’t require surgery and will aim to eventually play through the injury, which is keeping him on the shelf for now, writes Brian Robb of MassLive.com. “Trying to figure out — I’m going to be in a splint for a minute but figuring that out since it’s on my shooting hand,” Holiday said. “… I mean, I’m shooting, dribbling, catching, it’s probably all pretty weird or, I mean, honestly, inconvenient. I haven’t tried so far to catch a ball because of the pain, but I will soon.”
Nets point guard D’Angelo Russell, who has missed the past five games due to a sprained right ankle, is no longer on the team’s injury report, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. That’s an indication Russell will be active on Tuesday in San Antonio.
Pistons forward Tobias Harris is unavailable for personal reasons as Detroit opens a four-game road trip in Utah on Monday, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link).
Ayo Dosunmu‘s shoulder issue, which will require season-ending surgery, is an old injury that was discovered via imaging, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network. Although the Bulls guard aggravated it when he sustained a shoulder stinger vs. New York on Feb. 20, he’s not sure when the initial injury occurred, Johnson adds (Twitter link).

Ayo Dosunmu To Have Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

March 2nd, 2025 at 9:39am CST by Arthur Hill

Ayo Dosunmu will undergo surgery on his left shoulder that will cause him to miss the remainder of the season, the Bulls announced (via Twitter).

The team describes Dosunmu’s condition as “left shoulder instability.” He was able to play 23 minutes in Friday’s game against Toronto, but he missed the previous three contests and was already declared out for today’s meeting with Indiana due to the shoulder issue.

The 25-year-old shooting guard is in his fourth NBA season after being selected out of Illinois with the 38th pick in the 2021 draft. He appeared in 46 games this year, making 26 starts and averaging 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists with .492/.328/.785 shooting splits.

Dosunmu is earning $7MM in the second season of a three-year, $21MM contract. He will make $7.5MM next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026.

The release from the Bulls doesn’t specify when Dosunmu’s surgery will take place or how long his recovery is expected to take.

The loss of Dosunmu creates another challenge for Chicago, which is trying to hold onto the East’s final play-in spot. At 24-36, the Bulls are up by two and a half games over Philadelphia and three games over Brooklyn in the race for 10th place.

Tre Jones is likely to get most of Dosunmu’s minutes, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). Jones, who was acquired from San Antonio last month, is averaging 7.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in eight games since the trade.

Bulls Notes: Collins, Buzelis, Giddey, Williams

February 28th, 2025 at 1:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Injuries left Zach Collins as the Bulls‘ only remaining option at center for the past two games, resulting in a lot of minutes for the newly acquired big man, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. With Nikola Vucevic out of action to “proactively” rest a calf injury and Jalen Smith in concussion protocol, Collins made two straight starts, logging 28 minutes in Monday’s contest and 38 on Wednesday.

“I’m tired,” joked Collins, who was only averaging 11.8 minutes off the bench in San Antonio before being traded earlier this month. “I guess I’m getting all the minutes I want.”

Poe notes that Collins has faced a challenging adjustment moving into coach Billy Donovan’s up-tempo approach, which has been necessary because of the team’s overall lack of size. Collins has played well enough since the deal that Donovan indicated he might use some double-big lineups when Vucevic and Smith are healthy. That could happen soon, as K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network tweeted that Smith participated in this morning’s shootaround.

Collins is also working to solidify his future with the Bulls, who are expected to try again this summer to trade Vucevic.

“You want to help put your team in a position to win,” Collins said. “Great individual games don’t really mean much if you can’t get the win.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Suns star Kevin Durant was impressed by rookie forward Matas Buzelis when the teams met last weekend, Poe adds in a separate story. Buzelis wasn’t intimidated in his matchup with an NBA legend, posting 15 points and three rebounds in 24 minutes. “I like Matas,” Durant said. “I liked him when he was with the G League Ignite. He’s long, athletic and can shoot it. He is definitely going to have some bumps and bruises as he gets through these first few years in the league trying to figure stuff out. The more experience, the more reps he gets on the floor as a starter, the better he’ll become.”
The Bulls shouldn’t be fooled by Josh Giddey‘s recent hot streak, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic states in a mailbag column. Giddey is averaging 19.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game since the trade deadline while shooting 52.3% from the field and 62.5% from three-point range. However, Mayberry points out that Giddey, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, is playing for his next contract. Mayberry urges the front office to let the process play out with Giddey and not repeat last year’s mistake with Patrick Williams, who was re-signed before he could negotiate with other teams.
In the same piece, Mayberry expresses skepticism that any team will be willing to trade for Williams, who has four years and $72MM left on his current deal.

Bulls Notes: Huerter, Collins, Jones, Smith, Vucevic, Dosunmu

February 27th, 2025 at 3:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Seventh-year wing Kevin Huerter got off to a poor start after being traded to the Bulls, but he’s been playing much better since the All-Star break, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Huerter admits he initially struggled to adjust after being traded mid-season for the first time in his career.

“Yeah, I didn’t feel like myself, either,” Huerter said. “The break was big for me; a mental refresh was big for me. I came out of it ready to get going, to turn the page and start things going with this organization. The rest was just playing with confidence, and I’m confident in who I am.”

According to Cowley, Huerter is one of several Bulls who are essentially auditioning for jobs beyond 2024/25. While Huerter will earn a guaranteed $18MM in ’25/26, he’s certainly not a lock to stick with Chicago after posting career lows in most statistical categories this season.

“He’s obviously been a proven player in the league and certainly had moments in Atlanta and Sacramento, where he’s been really, really good,” head coach Billy Donovan said of Huerter. “I think anytime you come to a new team there’s going to be a period of adjustment, but I don’t think he was necessarily shooting the ball as well in Sacramento but for him maybe something new and fresh (was needed), trying to get him to take shots when they’re there.”

Here are a few more notes from Chicago:

Due to injuries to Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith, Zach Collins has started the past two games at center and filled in admirably. On Wednesday, he notched season highs of 22 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists, with the Bulls outscoring the Clippers by six points in his 38 minutes during the five-point loss. “I’ve been in and out of lineups all year, so now I get all the minutes I want,” Collins said, per Kyle Williams of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Our team is not as good without those guys in the lineup, so it’s not just me. We all have to pick it up. There are a lot of points and rebounds left out there on the floor without [Vucevic], so we all have to pick up the slack.”
In addition to Huerter and Collins, the Bulls also acquired Tre Jones in the trade that sent Zach LaVine to Sacramento and De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio. Collins says his familiarity with Jones has helped both players get acclimated to their new surroundings, according to Williams. “To come over with a guy that I played with for four years now and gotten close to made the whole thing that much more comfortable,” Collins said. “We took the same car to the airport, same flights, the same time for media, for medical, for extra reps after practice, learning, learning plays and everything.”
Jones, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, also had a strong outing Wednesday, notes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. The fifth-year point guard recorded 16 points (on 7-of-9 shooting), two rebounds, two assists, one steal and no turnovers and was plus-six in 18 minutes off the bench.
Smith has cleared the NBA’s concussion protocol, and if today’s workout goes well, he’ll be active tomorrow against Toronto, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network. Ayo Dosunmu, who has missed the past three games with a shoulder injury, was doing “light individual work” Thursday but his status for Friday is uncertain. Vucevic will be sidelined again Friday as he continues to deal with right calf injury, Johnson adds.

Bulls Notes: Giddey, Vucevic, Dosunmu, Ball

February 25th, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Josh Giddey knows he’s pumped up his value with his strong play this season. The Bulls guard will enter restricted free agency this summer and admitted to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley that he’s wondering how it will play out.

‘‘I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it,’’ Giddey said. ‘‘Every player in the league thinks about it, but I don’t let it impact what I do on the floor. I don’t come out here with any preconceived ideas of how I want to play or the numbers I want to put up to earn X amount of dollars or whatever it may be.’’

The Bulls were unable to come to a rookie scale extension agreement with Giddey after acquiring him from the Thunder last offseason. Giddey and his representatives indicated at that time they were looking to match Magic guard Jalen Suggs’ extension of $30MM per year for five years, Cowley confirms. The Bulls will have the ability to match if Giddey signs an offer sheet this summer.

We have more on the Bulls:

One of the things Giddey has improved upon is his long-range shooting, Cowley notes. The fourth-year guard has made 37% of his 3-point attempts, up from 33.7% in his last season with Oklahoma City. He knocked down all three of his attempts in the blowout victory over Philadelphia on Monday, improving his percentage to a whopping 52.2% this month. “Obviously, you feel good when shots start falling, and it can have a snowball effect. That’s where I’m probably at right now,” he said.
Starting center Nikola Vucevic is listed as doubtful to play against the Clippers on Wednesday due to right calf tightness, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets. Guard Ayo Dosunmu is questionable due to a left shoulder subluxation.
Lonzo Ball is not listed on the injury report. That was a positive development, considering he departed Monday’s game early due to a head laceration, the team tweets.

Josh Giddey Is Only 2025 RFA To Meet Starter Criteria So Far

February 25th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

When a player on an expiring contract is eligible for restricted free agency, his qualifying offer is determined in part by whether or not he met the “starter criteria” during the season – or two seasons – leading up to his free agency. As we explain in our glossary entry, a player meets the starter criteria when he achieves one of the following:

He plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency.
He averages either 2,000 minutes or 41 starts in the two seasons prior to his restricted free agency.

If a top-14 pick coming to the end of his rookie contract fails to meet the starter criteria, the value of his qualifying offer declines. Conversely a player who was drafted at No. 10 or later or who went undrafted altogether can increase the value of his qualifying offer by meeting the starter criteria.

In many cases, an increase or decrease to a qualifying offer won’t materially affect the player’s restricted free agency, since a QO is just a one-year contract offer issued in order for the team to retain its right of first refusal. The player has the option of accepting it, but in most cases it functions as a placeholder until the RFA signs an offer sheet with a rival team or negotiates a new multiyear contract with his current team.

Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, for example, will likely sign a lucrative long-term deal when he reaches free agency this summer, so it won’t matter all that much if he falls short of the starter criteria and his QO drops from the standard amount of $10,240,287 to $7,976,830.

But for a player who is less likely to secure a significant payday but still a good bet to receive a qualifying offer, a difference of a few million dollars between potential QOs could have a major impact on how his free agency plays out. That difference may affect how willing a team is to put the qualifying offer on the table and how likely the player is to simply accept it.

With all that in mind, it’s worth checking in on which potential 2025 restricted free agents have actually met the starter criteria so far this season and which ones are on track to do so. The first list is a short one: Bulls guard Josh Giddey is the only player to meet the starter criteria so far.

Giddey had a huge head-start because he made 80 starts for Oklahoma City in 2023/24, meaning he just needed to make two starts this season in order to achieve an average of 41 for the past two seasons. He made his second start for the Bulls way back on October 25, which means his qualifying offer this summer will be $11,142,057 instead of dropping to $7,976,830.

None of the 10 other potential restricted free agents have met the starter criteria though. Of those players, the following three were lottery picks, with their default qualifying offers noted in parentheses:

Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors ($10,240,287)
Davion Mitchell, Heat ($8,741,210)
Ziaire Williams, Nets ($8,353,153)

Kuminga has only started 10 games this season and will fall short of the starter criteria, which will bump his QO down to $7,976,830. Mitchell and Williams still have a chance to get there though — Mitchell has 28 starts under his belt, while Williams has 26. They both need to reach 41 to achieve the starter criteria, and they’ve been regular starters for their respective teams as of late. If they hang onto their starting jobs and stay healthy, they’ll surpass 41 starts.

Again, Kuminga’s free agency is unlikely to be affected by his smaller qualifying offer, since his offer will likely just serve as a placeholder and a last-resort fallback option. Maybe the Nets will be slightly less inclined to give Williams a qualifying offer if it’s worth $8.35MM instead of $7.98MM, but that’s such a small gap that it’s unlikely to affect the team’s QO decision either way. The same goes for Mitchell and the Heat.

The other seven players on expiring contracts who are eligible for restricted free agency are Cam Thomas (Nets), Santi Aldama (Grizzlies), Quentin Grimes (Sixers), Tre Mann (Hornets), Isaiah Jackson (Pacers), Day’Ron Sharpe (Nets), and Jabari Walker (Trail Blazers). Jaden Springer, Chris Duarte, and Bones Hyland were also part of this group before being waived this month.

Of those players, only Thomas has a realistic chance of meeting the starter criteria. He started 51 games last season, which means he needs to get to 31 this season. He’s at 17 and the Nets have 25 left to play. If Thomas can return from his hamstring strain relatively soon, which seems likely, he has a good shot at starting 14 games and reaching the necessary threshold. That would increase his QO from $5,993,172 to $8,741,210.

The others will remain eligible for their standard QOs, based on draft position (or their prior salary, in Walker’s case), as follows:

Tre Mann, Hornets ($6,964,982)
Isaiah Jackson, Pacers ($6,422,431)
Quentin Grimes, Sixers ($6,311,825)
Day’Ron Sharpe, Nets ($5,983,683)
Santi Aldama, Grizzlies ($5,940,797)
Jabari Walker, Trail Blazers ($2,524,624)

Bulls Notes: White, Ball, Vucevic

February 23rd, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan both now in Sacramento, Bulls guard Coby White has become the fulcrum of Chicago’s offensive attack, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Poe wonders if he’s ready for that spotlight.

“This is the growth that he’s got to do if he wants to become the kind of player I know he wants to be,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “He’s getting a full taste of what it’s like to be a Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan.”

White being the de facto new top perimeter player in Chicago means he has become the focus of opposing defenses.

“We’re not exactly catering to Coby, but there’s more movement and cutting and getting him to find open spaces,” Donovan said. “When you lose a guy like Zach or DeMar — they were great shot creators on their own. It’s not like our team is built that way anymore, so we’re going to have to move and play and help each other that way.”

There’s more out of the Windy City:

Recently extended Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, playing this season for the first time since 2021/22, has been under minutes restrictions since his debut in October. However, as Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times observes, the UCLA alum is nearing a return to unrestricted minutes at last. Ball has been an effective shooter and defender off the bench even during his limited run this year. In 32 healthy games, the 27-year-old is averaging 7.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per night.
After having prepared to be dealt away from the Bulls at this year’s trade deadline, center Nikola Vucevic is making the most of his tenure with a rebuilding Chicago club, Cowley writes in another piece. The 34-year-old former All-Star is now stuck on a team likely to miss the playoffs for a third straight season. Although the Bulls received trade offers for Vucevic, they decided not to deal him, reportedly believing they could get a better return this summer. In his five games since the deadline passed (all losses), the 6’10” big man is averaging 15.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, while posting shooting splits of .400/.300/.909. That output is markedly lower than his season averages. “The front office picked a direction, and now at this point of the season, we have what we have,” Vucevic said. “I was a little out of my rhythm, but I feel like I’ve found a few things the last couple of games. I still need to play better than I have. You just got to [stay] a pro no matter what’s going on.”
In case you missed it, the Bulls front office was recently ranked by CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn as the league’s worst.

And-Ones: D. Williams, Cousins, Front Offices, Kuzminskas, More

February 23rd, 2025 at 5:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams has signed with the Mets de Guaynabo ahead of the 2025 season, the Puerto Rican team announced this week (via Instagram; hat tip to Sportando).

Williams, who was selected right after Kyrie Irving in the 2011 draft, appeared in 428 NBA games across seven seasons from 2011-18 before spending several years in Europe. The veteran forward, who will turn 34 this May, last suited up for Panathinaikos in Greece during the 2022/23 season.

The Mets de Guaynabo also made another notable roster announcement this week, indicating (via Instagram) that they’ve reacquired the rights to four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, who last played for the team in 2023.

According to Joseph Reboyras of Primera Hora (Twitter link), former NBA guard J.J. Barea, who is currently the Mets’ head coach, said a few days ago that Cousins’ return isn’t yet a lock. However, the former NBA center, who is now 34, has shown interest in returning to Puerto Rico for the coming season and was scheduled to meet with Barea this week to discuss the possibility.

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

In a massive feature article, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports ranks all 30 NBA front offices, from the Thunder at No. 1 to the Bulls at No. 30. Quinn divided teams into 11 separate tiers, with the Celtics (No. 2) and Spurs (No. 3) joining Oklahoma City in the top group, while the Mavericks (No. 27), Suns (No. 28), and the Kings (No. 29) rounded out the bottom tier..
Former NBA forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who appeared in 69 games for New York from 2016-18, has announced his retirement from the Lithuanian national team and won’t compete in EuroBasket 2025 this offseason, as Eurohoops relays. “I feel that now is the right moment to say thank you and step aside,” Kuzminskas said as part of a larger statement.
Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) takes a look at 15 of the NCAA freshman who have emerged as top prospects for the 2025 NBA draft and poses one key questions for each player, including how high Cooper Flagg‘s offensive ceiling is, whether Kasparas Jakucionis‘ modest athleticism will limit him, and whether Tre Johnson can improve his shot selection.

Bulls Notes: White, Smith, Buzelis, Young

February 21st, 2025 at 10:03am CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls are in the unusual position of both collapsing and holding onto a play-in spot, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago dropped its fifth straight game Thursday night in New York, falling to 22-34 overall. However, the weakness of the East leaves the Bulls with a game-and-a-half lead over Philadelphia and Brooklyn in the play-in race, and coach Billy Donovan isn’t interested in tanking the rest of the season.

“I think at some point, you gotta be able to talk about winning,” Donovan said. “The loss of DeMar (DeRozan), Alex (Caruso) and Zach (LaVine), in terms of the scoring and how great those guys are as players, losing those types of guys makes it challenging. But there is a responsibility for the guys that are playing. How can they find a way to do things to impact the outcome of the game? You’ve got to be accountable for those things.”

The absence of stars has caused opposing defenses to focus more on sixth-year guard Coby White, who had been a complementary scorer up until now. After Thursday’s overtime loss, White talked about how he handled late-game situations and the need to adapt to different looks.

“They were mixing up coverages,” White said. “They were blitzing, then not coming back, so I was just trying not to force it and let the game come to me. (Josh) Giddey had it going, (Lonzo Ball) had it going, (Nikola Vucevic) had it going, so take advantage of those moments. If that’s how they’re going to play me, then I have to be more of a playmaker, screening, those types of things. It’s definitely been a difference, but it’s something you’ve got to get adjusted to.”

There’s more on the Bulls:

Backup big man Jalen Smith was ruled out of Thursday’s game after taking a shoulder to the face from Karl-Anthony Towns in the second quarter, per Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Smith dropped to the court after the contact, and Towns tumbled on top of him. Poe notes that the injury enabled Zach Collins to play 15 minutes in his second game with the team, but he produced just two points while missing all four of his shots from the field.
Matas Buzelis is hoping to make a late run at Rookie of the Year honors, Poe adds in a separate story. No clear favorite has emerged in this year’s race, and Buzelis, who was recently moved into the starting lineup, believes he has a chance to win over some voters. “I would like to win that award for sure,” he said. “I also want to win as many games as possible. But you know, if you win the games, then you’ll be in that conversation.”
The two-way contract that Jahmir Young signed this week will cover next season as well, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Bulls’ Patrick Williams Out At Least Two Weeks With Knee Injury

February 20th, 2025 at 4:02pm CST by Rory Maher

Fifth-year forward Patrick Williams recently received a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection to treat a right knee injury the Bulls describe as tendinosis. He’ll miss at least two weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, per the team (Twitter link).

Williams was initially ruled out for Thursday’s game at New York with what the Bulls called right quadriceps tendon soreness. He banged knees with a Pistons player on February 12, but was able to go through practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), Williams threw a towel in frustration during a timeout after experiencing the injury last week, but both he and head coach Billy Donovan downplayed the severity of the issue after the game. At the time, Williams said the knee-to-knee contact aggravated the sore tendon, but X-rays came back normal.

It’s been a tough season on an individual level for Williams, who is averaging career-worst rates on both two-pointers (40.0%) and threes (35.1%) for an overall field goal percentage of 37.5%. The 23-year-old, who was selected No. 4 overall in 2020, missed 10 games earlier this season, and will now miss at least eight more over the next couple of weeks.

With Williams out, Matas Buzelis, Kevin Huerter and Julian Phillips are among the candidates to receive more playing time.

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