- While it remains to be seen what sort of impact new Bulls guard Patrick Beverley will have on the court or in the standings, he should bring a much-needed spark to an “increasingly listless” team that’s in “dire need” of veteran leadership, contends Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Beverley officially signed with Chicago on Tuesday.
10:00pm: The Bulls have officially signed Taylor and waived Hill, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
3:38pm: The Bulls are making a change to one of their two-way contract slots, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links), who reports that forward Terry Taylor is getting a two-way deal from the team, while Malcolm Hill is being waived to make room for the newcomer.
Taylor, 23, was one of three players waived by the Pacers at this month’s trade deadline to accommodate the team’s new additions and has been a free agent since then.
After going undrafted out of Austin Peay in 2021, Taylor had a solid rookie season once he cracked Indiana’s rotation, averaging 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 61.4% from the field in 33 games (21.6 MPG). However, he didn’t played much in his second season, averaging just 8.8 minutes per night across 26 games in 2022/23.
One of Taylor’s best games as a rookie came against the Bulls — he racked up 21 points, 14 boards, and five assists against Chicago on February 4, 2022.
Hill finished last season on a two-way contract with the Bulls and re-signed with the team in September on a new two-way deal, but he hasn’t made an impact at the NBA level in 2022/23. The 6’6″ wing has logged nine minutes across five games this season, recording five points and three rebounds in his extremely limited action. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers.
9:51pm: The Bulls have officially waived Bradley, according to the NBA transactions log.
9:22am: The Bulls are expected to waive center Tony Bradley on Tuesday in order to open up a spot on their 15-man roster to sign Patrick Beverley, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Bradley signed a two-year contract with Chicago during the 2021 offseason and appeared in 55 games with the team last season, but hasn’t had a role for the Bulls in 2022/23. The big man has logged just 33 total minutes across 12 appearances, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 minutes during that time.
Assuming Bradley goes unclaimed on waivers, which seems like a safe bet, the Bulls will remain on the hook for the rest of his $2,036,318 salary — he’s still owed approximately $562K of that amount, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
There had been some speculation that the Bulls might release Goran Dragic in order to add Beverley, but it seems Dragic will stick around. The decision will result in a crowded point guard depth chart for the Bulls. Even with Lonzo Ball not expected to return this season, Chicago will still have Beverley, Dragic, Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu, and Coby White in the mix at that spot (though some of them can play the two as well).
As for Bradley, Woj notes (via Twitter) that there are still some teams in the market for a backup center, so it’s possible the 25-year-old will find a new NBA home in the coming days or weeks. He’ll be playoff-eligible for a new team, since he’s being released prior to March 1.
FEBRUARY 21: Beverley has officially signed a rest-of-season contract with the Bulls, according to the NBA transactions log.
[RELATED: Beverley: Decision Came Down To Bulls, Warriors]
The Bulls waived Tony Bradley to open up a roster spot for Beverley.
FEBRAURY 20: Point guard Patrick Beverley is expected to sign with the Bulls, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter).
The Bulls will have to open up a spot on their 15-man before adding Beverley.
Beverley was waived by the Magic on Feb. 12 after he was acquired in a trade with the Lakers. He had an expiring $13MM contract before working out a buyout arrangement with Orlando.
In 45 games for the Lakers, all starts, the 34-year-old posted averages of 6.4 PPG on .402/.348/.780, plus 3.1 RPG, 2.6 APG and 0.9 SPG.
Chicago has been seeking point guard help and had been in touch with Beverley’s representatives. Lonzo Ball hasn’t played in 2022/23 and will likely not return until next season. Ayo Dosunmu, Goran Dragic, Coby White and Alex Caruso have taken turns at the point guard but none have taken a stronghold on the starting job.
The Bulls entered the All-Star break with a disappointing 26-33 record. However, they’re still just two games behind the Raptors for the final play-in spot.
It’ll be a homecoming for Beverley, who grew up in Chicago.
9:54am: The Bulls have made it official, announcing in a press release that Ball won’t return this season.
“Despite making significant increases in strength and function over the past several months, Bulls guard Lonzo Ball continues to experience performance limiting discomfort during participation in high level basketball-related activities,” head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said in a statement. “Considering the required time period to achieve the necessary level of fitness to return-to-play and the current stage of the NBA season, Ball will not return this season. The focus for Ball will continue to be on the resolution of his discomfort and a full return for the 2023/24 season.”
9:40am: The Bulls are expected to shut down point guard Lonzo Ball for the rest of the 2022/23 season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago first reported that the Bulls were “widely expected” to announce sometime after the All-Star break that Ball would miss the remainder of the season.
Ball underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee last January, but complications related to that procedure prevented him from returning for the rest of the 2021/22 season. He underwent an arthroscopic debridement procedure this past September in the hopes of cleaning up the lingering issues in the knee. However, according to Charania, the former No. 2 overall pick is still experiencing pain and discomfort.
It has been a brutal process for both Ball and the Bulls, who were playing terrific basketball before their starting point guard went down last season. At the time of Ball’s injury last January, Chicago had a 27-13 record; across parts of the two seasons since then, they’re just 45-56.
While Ball’s averages last season (13.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 5.1 APG) didn’t jump off the page, he was a strong contributor on defense and did a good job managing an offense that includes three talented scorers (Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic). He also helped spread the floor around those scorers by making 42.3% of his three-pointers.
The Bulls have rotated through multiple point guards this season, with Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso both getting starts and Goran Dragic and Coby White also seeing some time at the position. Chicago just reached an agreement to sign another veteran point guard, Patrick Beverley, to help fill the void created by Ball’s absence.
Given how long Ball has been sidelined, at this point we’re just hoping to eventually see the talented 25-year-old back on the floor and looking like his old self. Ideally, that will happen next season, but we’ll have to wait for more details on his prognosis, including whether he’ll have to undergo any additional procedures.
Ball still has two years left on his contract with the Bulls beyond this season. He’s owed a guaranteed $20.5MM salary next season, with a $21.4MM player option for 2024/25.
After reaching an agreement to sign with Chicago, veteran guard Patrick Beverley stated on the latest episode of his Pat Bev Podcast that his decision in free agency came down to the Bulls and Warriors.
“It was between Golden State and the Bulls,” he said. “The Bulls have been after me for the last couple years. I f–k with (Bulls head coach) Billy Donovan, I really do. I like his structure, I like how he goes about things. So I couldn’t say no to that.
“Obviously it’s always good to play with a lot of great talent in Golden State. But there’s a lot of guards over there, you know? So I figured I could make a playoff push with the Bulls right now and kind of pump them up a little bit. The East is kind of weak. Not to disrespect anybody in the East, but a lot of people went to the West (at the trade deadline).”
Beverley, who was born and raised in Chicago, said he dreamed of playing for the Bulls when he was a kid. He added that he’s thrilled by the opportunity to play for his hometown team while getting to spend time with family and take his kids to school.
“I get to rep my city on my chest, proudly,” Beverley said. “So if you think I went hard for other teams, just imagine how hard I’m gonna go for this one. I’m excited, my mom’s excited, my family’s excited, my friends are excited, I know the Bulls are excited. I just can’t wait to get s–t started, man.”
Beverley got off to a slow start this season with the Lakers, but had played better over the last couple months. Since December 9, he has averaged 7.9 points and 2.7 assists on .474/.424/.759 shooting in 27 games (27.3 MPG). Still, Los Angeles decided to send him to Orlando in a deadline-day trade for Mohamed Bamba and he subsequently reached a buyout agreement with the Magic.
Pointing out that the Bulls will play the Lakers twice next month, Beverley expressed a desire to knock his old team out of the playoff mix in the West. He also suggested that he believes he can help his new team finish strong.
“You know me, I impact winning,” he said. “I’m shooting 40 (percent on three-pointers) over the last couple months. I’m actually playing some of my best basketball. If you pull up the numbers, my numbers right now are better than my numbers in Minnesota last season.”
As for his discussions with the Warriors, Beverley said he spoke to front office executive Mike Dunleavy Jr. and was scheduled to talk to head coach Steve Kerr too, but made his decision to join the Bulls before that conversation with Kerr occurred. Based on Beverley’s comments, it’s unclear whether Golden State actually had an offer on the table for him or whether the two sides were still working to determine the fit.
“They kept it real with me, like, ‘We don’t want you to wait, Pat, if this is an opportunity you want to take, go ahead, we respect it, we know there’s a lot of teams after you,'” Beverley said. “So I felt like the Bulls were the best fit. I appreciate Golden State. I appreciate the opportunity that was there, if it was there. It worked out the way it was supposed to.”
- The Bulls must determine whether to pursue another free agent point guard after Russell Westbrook‘s decision to join the Clippers, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Westbrook reportedly talked to Chicago, Washington and Miami before opting to remain in L.A. The Bulls are expected to announce soon that Lonzo Ball will miss the rest of the season, according to Johnson, who adds that the team could have benefited from Westbrook’s familiarity in Oklahoma City with head coach Billy Donovan and assistants Maurice Cheeks and Josh Longstaff. Sources tell Johnson that Chicago has been in touch with John Wall and Patrick Beverley, although the interest in adding either player isn’t clear. If the Bulls sign another guard, Johnson believes it might mark the end of Goran Dragic‘s time in Chicago.
The Bulls will have some time to reflect on what has gone wrong so far this season during the next week, as they enter the All-Star break on a six-game losing streak that dropped their record on the season to 26-33.
Making the playoffs is still the goal for the team, according to Zach LaVine, who said after Thursday’s loss to Milwaukee that the Bulls “have to stop beating ourselves” and need to establish some consistency the rest of the way, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
“Something isn’t working, obviously,” LaVine said. “Some games we’re really good. Some games we’re bad. Once again, it’s that consistency factor of figuring out what our identity is and what we’re going to be each game.
“Even if guys are in and out of the lineup, you see some teams that have consistency with what they do. They have an identity. That’s something we’re still trying to figure out in these last couple years. We changed our offense a little bit this year from last year. But it’s no excuse with the type of talent that we have on the team.”
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- LaVine hasn’t gone out of his way to recruit Russell Westbrook – like Clippers forward Paul George did – but when he was asked this week about Westbrook joining the Bulls, LaVine said he’d welcome the opportunity to team up with the former MVP, per Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “Russ is a future Hall of Famer, man,” LaVine said. “I think you can only respect what he’s done in this league. If he so happens to come on the team, we welcome him with open arms. If he’s not, you compete against him. He’s a fierce competitor. You can do nothing but respect that.”
- With five players, including star forward DeMar DeRozan, out due to injuries this week, rookie wing Dalen Terry logged 15 minutes on Wednesday and 27 minutes on Thursday — those were the first two times this season that he has played more than 10 minutes in a game. However, it’s unclear whether Terry will stick in Chicago’s rotation once DeRozan and others are back. “I’ve got to see what we look like health-wise,” Donovan said, according to K.C. Johnson. “With our roster, somebody is going to have to sit. I’m not saying that Dalen is the one who is going to be sitting. But somebody is going to have to.”
- Although team success is Alex Caruso‘s top priority, he admitted to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that it would be “really cool” to earn an All-Defensive nod. “I was a big fan of Kevin Garnett, the Pistons teams with Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace, and guys like Tony Allen, and other guys that people don’t maybe remember as well like Bruce Bowen and Raja Bell,” Caruso said. “Watching a bunch of people play over the years, I could tell there was an impact to be had on that side of the ball and something that came naturally to me.”
The Nets‘ Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trades earlier this month significantly reduced the team’s star power but have created a deeper roster, resulting in difficult decisions for head coach Jacque Vaughn, as Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post writes.
With Seth Curry back in action on Wednesday following a five-game absence due to a left adductor strain, the Vaughn and the Nets employed a 10-man rotation that left out a couple players who have had regular roles for much of the season. As Sanchez writes, there was no room in that 10-man rotation for Edmond Sumner or Yuta Watanabe in addition to Day’Ron Sharpe or Patty Mills.
Vaughn is happy to use 10 of the Nets’ 14 players (not counting two-ways) for the time being, but expects to tighten the rotation further this spring.
“We’re playing 10 guys right now,” Vaughn said on Wednesday. “Eventually that’s going to whittle down to nine or eight as you get into the playoffs, but I think that’s the biggest thing is being able to utilize the depth.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Although he’s one of the odd men out of the Nets’ new rotation, Mills said he likes the look of the roster in the wake of the trade deadline and remains confident in the team’s chances to make the playoffs. In a conversation with Ian Begley of SNY.tv, the veteran guard made multiple references to the character of the locker room and the off-court bonds between Nets players. “Genuinely, you look around the room and we’ve just got really solid dudes,” Mills said. “(Potential) friendships, (where) you can talk and you can go outside of the basketball court, which I think at the end of the day makes a real impact on what we can do on the court.”
- Given the opportunity to take on a larger role, Nets guard Cam Thomas scored 134 points in a three-game span earlier this month, but he has seen his minutes dip again within the last week, averaging just 19.8 MPG in Brooklyn’s last three games. Thomas, who expressed frustration with his limited playing time early in the season, doesn’t sound thrilled about once again taking a step back, Sanchez writes for The New York Post. “It’s tough,” Thomas said. “From doing one thing and trying to adjust to the team because that’s just what you got to do. It’s tough for sure. So just got to figure it out.”
- Speaking to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Bulls center Andre Drummond admitted that he would’ve liked to re-sign with the Nets as a free agent last summer, but turned to the “next best option” when things didn’t work out with Brooklyn. “I definitely wanted to come back, but I think they were going in a different direction, so there was nothing I could really do about that,” said Drummond, who was the Nets’ starting center down the stretch and in the playoffs last spring.
With two more qualifying matches for the 2023 World Cup right around the corner, USA Basketball has officially announced the 12-man roster that will compete in February’s games. Team USA’s squad is made up primarily of G Leaguers, but features a number of players with NBA experience.
The 12 players who will represent the U.S. on February 23 vs. Uruguay and Feb. 26 vs. Brazil are Deonte Burton, Will Davis II, Abdul Gaddy, Langston Galloway, Treveon Graham, Dusty Hannahs, Nate Hinton, Jay Huff, Xavier Moon, Elijah Pemberton, Reggie Perry, and Craig Sword.
So far, Canada is the only team in the Americas field to qualify for the 2023 World Cup, having won all of its first 10 qualifying contests. However, Team USA – which has an 8-2 record so far – will clinch a World Cup berth by winning either one of its two games this month, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Meanwhile, USA Basketball also announced the rosters for the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit, an annual showcase of U.S. high school prospects that will take place on April 8. The most notable name on the men’s roster is Bronny James, but Bronny isn’t the only son of a former Cavaliers lottery pick to be named to the event — the 13-player roster also includes Dajuan Wagner Jr.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is building a strong case for his third consecutive MVP award and leads the way in the latest straw poll conducted by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Bontemps’ survey asks 100 media members for their current MVP ballots — Jokic received 77 first-place votes, easily besting runners-up Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks (11 first-place votes) and Joel Embiid of the Sixers (6).
- Rockets guard Jalen Green (left groin strain) and Pistons center Jalen Duren (right ankle sprain) have been forced to withdraw from Friday night’s Rising Stars event at All-Star weekend due to injuries, according to the NBA (Twitter link). They’re being replaced by Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu and Rockets forward Tari Eason.
- In his latest mock draft for The Athletic, Sam Vecenie moves Alabama wing Brandon Miller up to No. 3, writing that Miller is considered the safest bet in the 2023 draft class – outside of Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson – to be a “really good player” at the NBA level. Vecenie’s top five is rounded out by Overtime Elite guard Amen Thompson at No. 4 and Houston forward Jarace Walker at No. 5.