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Bulls Sign, Waive Joshua Primo

October 3rd, 2024 at 5:33pm CST by Rory Maher

5:33 pm: As expected, the Bulls have now waived Primo, according to Johnson (Twitter link).

11:20 am: The Bulls are signing free agent guard Joshua Primo to an Exhibit 10 contract, reports Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic (via Twitter). The move is now official, the team confirmed in a press release (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network).

The No. 12 overall pick of the 2021 draft, Primo spent his rookie season with the Spurs, appearing in 50 regular season games (19.3 minutes per contest) while averaging 5.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists on .374/.307/.746 shooting.

About a week into his second season, he was waived by San Antonio for “inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women.” The NBA imposed a four-game suspension in response to Primo’s behavior, which allegedly included multiple incidents with a long-time sports psychologist who worked for the Spurs during his time with the organization.

Primo missed the rest of the 2022/23 campaign after being cut by the Spurs. He caught on with the Clippers last fall, initially on a two-way contract (he served the suspension at the beginning of last season). Primo was converted to a standard deal in November, but he only appeared in two NBA games for Los Angeles, which released him on the final day of the ’23/24 regular season.

Primo, 21, spent most of last season in the NBA G League with the Clippers’ affiliate, averaging 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals on .469/.369/.758 shooting in 30 regular season contests (30.9 minutes).

The former Alabama guard suffered a stress fracture in the navicular bone of his left ankle in April, which limited his basketball activities this offseason. According to Mayberry, Primo is expected to be released by Chicago and will head to the team’s NBAGL affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, as he continues to rehab from the injury.

Assuming Primo is waived before the season begins and spends at least 60 days with Windy City, the Exhibit 10 language in his contract would entitle him to a bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of his regular NBAGL salary.

After signing Primo, the Bulls are now at the offseason limit of 21 players under contract.

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Bulls Waive Marcus Domask

October 2nd, 2024 at 6:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls have opened up a roster spot by waiving rookie forward Marcus Domask, the team announced on Twitter.

Domask, 24, signed with Chicago in July after going undrafted out of Illinois. He spent four seasons at Southern Illinois before transferring for his super senior season.

Domask was part of the Bulls’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, appearing in three games and averaging 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per contest.

Because he was in camp on an Exhibit 10 contract, Domask will be eligible to earn a bonus of up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Bulls’ Windy City affiliate in the G League.

Waiving Domask brings Chicago down to 20 players on its offseason roster, one short of the league limit.

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And-Ones: NBAGL Trades, Extension Candidates, Woj’s Replacement, More

October 1st, 2024 at 9:29am CST by Luke Adams

Toronto’s G League affiliate – the Raptors 905 – has made a pair of trades in recent days, including a four-team deal that sent Kennedy Chandler‘s returning rights to the 905, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). As we noted recently when the NBA’s Raptors signed and waived Chandler, their G League team still needed to acquire the guard’s rights in order to get him on the 905’s roster this fall.

That four-team trade also saw the Long Island Nets acquire Au’Diese Toney‘s returning rights and a 2025 first-round pick, the Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans) acquire Trhae Mitchell‘s returning rights, and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets) land the rights to Devin Cannady and Markquis Nowell along with a 2024 first-round pick.

In the 905’s other trade, the Raptors’ affiliate sent Koby McEwen‘s returning rights to the Windy City Bulls in exchange for Evan Gilyard‘s rights, tweets Murphy.

  • Fred Katz of The Athletic identifies five of the most interesting extension-eligible veterans to keep an eye on this fall, singling out Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., and Mavericks center Daniel Gafford, among others.
  • Who are the candidates to replace Adrian Wojnarowski as ESPN’s top NBA insider? According to reporting from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic and Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, while big-name NBA reporters like Shams Charania and Chris Haynes are possibilities, it’s also not out of the question that one of ESPN’s other top news-breakers, such as Jeff Passan or Adam Schefter, could end up in the role. Marchand says Passan is a candidate to switch from MLB to the NBA, while McCarthy suggests it’s not out of the question for Schefter to take on a dual role covering the NFL and NBA.
  • In an in-depth Insider-only article for ESPN, Bobby Marks takes a look at all 30 teams’ training camp rosters and examines the key dates and deadlines coming up for each of those clubs.
  • Taking into account their projected regular season win totals, John Hollinger of The Athletic picks five teams he expects to exceed expectations in 2024/25, including the Cavaliers, Suns, and Pistons.
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Central Notes: Mitchell, Allen, Thompson, Bitim

September 30th, 2024 at 6:58pm CST by Tristan Tucker

For the first time in his Cavaliers tenure, Donovan Mitchell didn’t have to sidestep any questions about his future on Monday after signing a three-year, $150.3MM extension this offseason, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes.

“From the minute I got here I told my mom, I think I was just like, ‘Yo, I really like it here,’” Mitchell said Monday. “For me it was just a no-brainer. I’ve known for a little bit that this was my decision. It’s finally good to have a media day where we’re not talking about where I’m going next. You can lay your roots somewhere that you actually want to be. I think that’s special.”

According to Fedor, Mitchell considered other options but had decided on re-upping with Cleveland by early 2024 before putting pen to paper this summer.

“It was kind of funny watching everybody say that this is how I’m feeling, but I knew,” Mitchell said. “I don’t want to call it a looming cloud. Every loss is like, ‘What’s going to happen next?’ It’s refreshing. I’m glad that we’re here and I’m excited to be here. You know where you’re going to be, where your feet are. It’s just a calming vibe. I can come in here now and breathe. It’s way more peaceful. I know where home is. I’m happy here.”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen received criticism during his postseason rib injury, including from former teammate Marcus Morris, Fedor writes in a separate story. Allen took a sharp hit in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs but brushed it off, underestimating the severity of the injury. The one-time All-Star continually appeared on the injury report with a questionable designation, but it wasn’t until after the season that it was revealed that the rib was actually broken. Despite his toughness being called into question, Allen brushed off all criticism, including that of Morris’s, stating that one can never understand how tough a rib injury is until they themselves go through it.
  • Allen, who signed a three-year, $91MM extension with the Cavaliers this offseason, spoke on Monday about why he decided to accept a new contract from the team with two years left on his existing deal, as Fedor writes. “I like it here,” Allen said. “I like the city. I like the people here. It’s easy to say in front of everybody just to hype everybody up, but I truly do genuinely like it here and I believe in it here. I’ve put in three years, three and a half years to try to see this team succeed and genuinely happy that they’ve put their trust in me for another whatever years.“
  • Pistons second-year forward Ausar Thompson is being held out of contract drills to start training camp, according to Larry Lage of The Associated Press. Thompson dealt with a season-ending blood clot in the spring and president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said the 21-year-old is working through a medical process with the NBA and the players’ union. Thompson has been cleared for non-contact drills, conditioning, and strength training.
  • Bulls guard Onuralp Bitim underwent two surgeries to fix a detached retina in his right eye that he suffered in the team’s second-to-last game of the season, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets. As part of his recovery, Bitim said he had to sit on his stomach for 15 hours a day for multiple days. Now healthy, Bitim is battling Talen Horton-Tucker, Kenneth Lofton, Marcus Domask, E.J. Liddell and the two-way players for a spot on Chicago’s 15-man roster.
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Bulls Notes: Giddey, Williams, Ball, LaVine

September 30th, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

New Bulls guard Josh Giddey told reporters on Monday that the ankle injury he suffered at the end of Australia’s run in the Paris Olympics was more serious than initially believed and that he spent the rest of the offseason recovering from it, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links).

According to Giddey, who said he was diagnosed with a ruptured ATFL (anterior talo-fibular ligament), he and the Bulls have been conservative with his rehab timeline, but he’s close to being ready to suit up. In fact, if there were a playoff game on the schedule tomorrow, Giddey could suit up, he said. The fourth-year guard expects to be “fine” for opening night.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

  • Despite an ominous report last week about his recovery from February foot surgery, Bulls forward Patrick Williams has been playing 5-on-5 ball and is “ready to go” for training camp, Bulls head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said today. According to Johnson (Twitter link), the soreness Williams experienced in the offseason that was reference in last week’s report wasn’t related to his foot surgery.
  • Karnisovas said the goal for the Bulls this year won’t be to try to hang onto the top-10 first-round pick they owe the Spurs, but to define the identity and playing style of the new group, per Johnson (Twitter links). The veteran executive added that the current roster isn’t necessarily a “finished product” and that the front office is focused on building a team that’s “faster and more versatile.”
  • Lonzo Ball remains optimistic about where he’s at in his recovery from multiple knee surgeries and still hopes to play on opening night, though he acknowledged on Monday that back-to-backs are off the table for him this season and he’ll be on a minutes restriction. “I pretty much have a brand new knee,” the point guard said (Twitter links via Johnson).
  • Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times wrote this week that rebuilding Zach LaVine‘s trade value and finding him a new home remains the No. 1 goal for the Bulls’ front office. However, speaking on Monday to reporters, LaVine offered a lengthy opening statement about his commitment to the Bulls, suggesting that he and the club have moved past any negativity from the past, tweets Johnson. Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic passes along video of LaVine’s comments, via Twitter.
  • While Cowley believes LaVine’s future is the most significant storyline worth following in Chicago this season, he identifies a few more “secondary” storylines to watch, in a separate article for the Sun-Times.
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And-Ones: G League Trade, Brissett, Future Power Rankings, Lowe

September 27th, 2024 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns‘ and Pacers‘ G League affiliates have completed a trade involving a former No. 3 overall NBA draft pick, per a press release from the Valley Suns. Phoenix’s new affiliate acquired the returning rights to guard David Stockton from the Indiana Mad Ants in exchange for the returning rights to forward Garrison Brooks and former lottery pick Jahlil Okafor.

Brooks and Okafor were among the Suns’ picks in June’s expansion draft, but it’s unclear if either one intends to play in the G League at all in 2024/25 — they both competed overseas last season.

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

  • Free agent swingman Oshae Brissett is believed to be drawing interest from a EuroLeague team, according to a report from Sportske.net. As Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays, the Serbian outlet says that the Belgrade-based club Crvena Zvezda has its eye on Brissett as a potential target. The five-year NBA veteran, who won a title last season with the Celtics, has been on the lookout for a new home since he turned down his player option with Boston in June.
  • ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, Bobby Marks, and Tim Bontemps (Insider link) have published the latest installment of their annual “future power rankings,” which are based on each team’s projected on-court success for the next three seasons. The Thunder top this year’s version of the list, while the Celtics drop from No. 1 to No. 2 despite their 2024 championship, since their salary cap situation may get untenable in the near future. The Knicks (third) Sixers (fourth), Mavericks (fifth), Rockets (seventh), Timberwolves (eighth), and Spurs (10th) each rose five or more spots to claim a place in ESPN’s top 10.
  • Howard Beck of The Ringer sorts the NBA’s 30 teams into six separate tiers based on how clear their plans are going forward. The Nets and Wizards, in full-on rebuilds, are among the teams in the “ever-clear” top tier along with championship hopefuls like the Mavericks and Sixers, while clubs with less obvious goals, like the Hawks, Bulls, and Raptors, find themselves in the lowest “fun-house mirror” tier.
  • ESPN has laid off senior writer Zach Lowe, sources tell Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Lowe is the second noteworthy NBA reporter to depart the network in recent weeks, joining Adrian Wojnarowski, who unexpectedly announced his retirement from the news industry last week.
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Bulls Exercise 2025/26 Option On Dalen Terry

September 26th, 2024 at 3:59pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bulls have exercised their 2025/26 rookie scale team option on wing Dalen Terry, league sources tell Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Chicago had until the end of October to determine whether it wanted to pick up the option. The move means that Terry, who is already under contract for ’24/25, will earn a guaranteed $5,399,118 in ’25/26, which is the fourth and final season of his rookie contract.

The 18th pick of the 2022 draft, Terry didn’t play much as a rookie two seasons ago, averaging just 5.6 MPG in 38 appearances with the Bulls. He earned more playing time during his second season though, with averages of 3.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG and 1.4 APG in 59 games in ’23/24 (11.5 MPG).

Terry, who played two seasons of college ball at Arizona, was viewed as a point guard entering the draft but has mostly played on the wing professionally due to the Bulls already having ball-handlers on the roster. At 6’7″, he has the size to defend multiple positions.

We’re tracking all the decisions on ’25/26 rookie scale team options right here. The Heat are the only other team to have exercised any options so far — many of the decisions will be finalized closer to the Oct. 31 deadline.

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Derrick Rose Announces Retirement

September 26th, 2024 at 6:16am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose has announced his retirement as a basketball player.

Rose confirmed the decision in a post on Instagram and, according to Malika Andrews and Tim MacMahon of ESPN, by taking out full-page ads in local newspapers of the six NBA cities he played in: Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis.

“Knowing that I gave my all to the game, I feel confident in my decision,” Rose told ESPN. “Basketball was just the beginning for me. Now, it’s important that I give my all to my family — they deserve that.”

Rose added in a statement to Shams Charania of The Athletic: “The next chapter is about chasing my dreams and sharing my growth. I believe true success comes from becoming who you were created to be, and I want to show the world who I am beyond basketball.”

Rose, who will turn 36 next Friday, was selected first overall in the 2008 NBA draft by his hometown Bulls. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2009 and was named an All-Star in each of his next three seasons, winning the MVP award in 2011. Over the course of that season, his third in the NBA at age 22, he averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game across 81 starts, leading the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record.

The fact that Rose won the MVP award while still on his rookie scale contract resulted in an NBA rule being unofficially named after him. As we’ve outlined in a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry, the “Derrick Rose rule” allows players coming off their rookie deals to sign maximum-salary contracts worth up to 30% of the salary cap instead of the typical 25% if they’ve earned a major award such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA.

However, Rose’s career hit a snag following his first four seasons in Chicago, as he missed the entire 2012/13 season due to an ACL tear and only played in 10 games in ’13/14 as he continued to recover from that injury.

The 6’3″ guard ultimately made it back to the court on a more regular basis in ’14/15, but he only appeared in more than 51 games in a season twice in his final 10 NBA seasons as he continued to be affected by health issues that sapped him of the speed and explosiveness he displayed in his first few years.

Rose was still an effective role player when healthy, earning Sixth Man of the Year votes in 2019, 2020, and 2021 for the Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks, but his injury woes prevented him from fully delivering on the potential to be a longtime NBA star that he showed early in his career.

Rose will call it a career with averages of 17.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 3.2 RPG in 723 career regular season games (30.5 MPG). He also made 52 postseason appearances and put up 21.9 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 4.3 RPG in those outings. He made the Eastern Conference Finals with the Bulls during his MVP year in 2011, though he never played in the NBA Finals. In addition to suiting up for the Bulls, Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks, he spent time with the Cavaliers and Grizzlies.

Rose had been under contract with Memphis for the 2024/25 season, but requested his release and gave up his full $3.3MM guaranteed salary for the year as part of that agreement.

As K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network tweets, there are no immediate plans for Rose to sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Bulls, but the organization will almost certainly honor its former star at some point this season.

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Bulls Notes: LaVine, Ball, Williams, White, Buzelis

September 23rd, 2024 at 3:57pm CST by Rory Maher

Confirming a previous report, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic hears from Bulls sources who say that Zach LaVine has been a “willing participant” in team scrimmages ahead of training camp. LaVine was also present for a players-led minicamp last month in Miami, Mayberry reports.

LaVine has been a prominent name in trade rumors for over a year, with the Bulls actively looking to move the two-time All-Star this summer. However, Mayberry writes that rival clubs were only interested in taking on the 29-year-old’s contract — he’s owed $138MM over the next three seasons — if Chicago sweetened the pot by adding additional assets, which was a non-starter for the Bulls.

With young guards like Josh Giddey, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu on the roster, having a veteran known for his scoring prowess like LaVine could be an awkward fit. But according to Mayberry, LaVine has stressed to team leadership that he won’t interfere with his younger teammates’ development.

Here’s more on the Bulls, all courtesy of Mayberry:

  • Chicago is “cautiously optimistic” about the progress Lonzo Ball has made as he attempts to revive his career, Mayberry writes. The 26-year-old has been a full participant in offseason team workouts and will be a full go for training camp as well, Mayberry reports. Ball, who hasn’t played in an NBA game since January 2022 due to a left knee injury that has required three surgeries, is on an expiring $21.4MM contract. The Bulls will likely be very careful with Ball, but he has “looked good” to this point, per Mayberry.
  • Forward Patrick Williams may not be ready for training camp. The 23-year-old, who had season-ending foot surgery in February, told Mayberry and other reporters he was able to run and jump without pain or swelling in July (Twitter link), but he felt some discomfort during the players-only minicamp in August and has been resting over the past handful of weeks. Williams re-signed with the Bulls as a restricted free agent over the summer, inking a five-year, $90MM contract.
  • While White is expected to remain in the starting lineup alongside Giddey and LaVine, Mayberry suggests the former UNC Tar Heel may not be thrilled with an off-ball role after spending nearly all of last season as the team’s starting point guard. White had a breakout season in 2023/24, finishing runner-up for the Most Improved Player award. Trading Alex Caruso for Giddey indicates the Bulls view White as more of a scorer than a lead facilitator, Mayberry notes.
  • First-rounder Matas Buzelis has been playing well in scrimmages, according to Mayberry, who says the former G League Ignite forward has particularly impressed with ability to drive and pass. Mayberry also hears the Bulls plan to adjust their playing style on both ends of the court this season.
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Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Central Division

September 21st, 2024 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.

This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster at this time, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and/or cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.

We’re continuing our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Central Division. Let’s dive in…

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls could set their 21-man training camp roster by officially signing Liddell, who is believed to have agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal. However, there are still questions about what their 18-man regular season roster will look like, even if Chicago doesn’t make any preseason trades.

The Bulls have just 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, leaving the 15th spot open for a roster hopeful like Bitim, Horton-Tucker, or Lofton. The club also has a two-way slot available.

While Horton-Tucker isn’t eligible for a two-way contract, Domask, Lofton, and Liddell are. Bitim would be too, but he can’t be converted directly to a two-way deal since he’s not on an Exhibit 10 contract — he’d need to be cut and then re-signed after clearing waivers.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers‘ 11 players on fully guaranteed salaries represents the lowest total of any NBA team. But Merrill and Porter are locks to be on the regular season roster, so at least 13 standard spots are accounted for, and the team reportedly doesn’t intend to carry a 15th man into opening night for financial reasons.

Presumably, Thompson will open the season as the 14th man, but that’s not set in stone, since he’s not owed any guaranteed money. The Cavs could still bring in another veteran to challenge for that job.

Even after signing Brown, Cleveland will have three open spots on its 21-man roster, so more Exhibit 10 signings are likely around the corner too.

Detroit Pistons

With over $10MM in cap room still available and only 13 players on guaranteed contracts, the Pistons are one of the NBA’s top candidates to make a move impacting their regular season roster in the next month.

That’s not a lock though. If they hang onto Reed, as expected, the Pistons will have the required 14 players for opening night. And if they want to maximize their remaining cap room in order to accommodate as many potential in-season trade opportunities as possible, they may be reluctant to add even a minimum-salary player as a 15th man.

While it’s an open question whether or not Detroit will fill out its standard 15-man roster, it’s safe to assume the team will carry a third two-way player into the season. We’ll see whether McCoy, Smith, Estrada, and/or Seabron get a chance to compete for that spot or whether the Pistons have any other specific targets in mind. For what it’s worth, the club could add one more player to its 21-man preseason roster even after officially signing Estrada and Seabron.

Indiana Pacers

The partial guarantees held by Johnson and Wiseman will give them the upper hand to join the Pacers‘ dozen players on fully guaranteed contracts as part of the standard opening night roster. That would leave Brown and Swider vying for the 15th spot, with no guarantee that Indiana – within spitting distance of the luxury tax line – would retain either one.

The Pacers, who are already carrying 19 total players, wouldn’t be able to finalize all three of their reported Exhibit 10 deals without waiving someone. That math suggests that at least one of those Exhibit 10 recipients – and maybe more than one – will be cut shortly after he signs, with Indiana rotating players in and out of those back-end roster spots.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks have a hefty projected tax bill to consider, but it still doesn’t make sense to waive Jackson, given that half of his $1.89MM salary is guaranteed. He’ll make that money whether or not he opens the season on the roster, so it looks like Milwaukee will carry a full 15-man squad into opening night.

With all 21 preseason roster spots filled, including all three of their two-way slots, the Bucks don’t need to make any changes before camp begins. Unless one of the camp invitees has a huge fall and pushes one of the current two-way players out, I’d expect Milwaukee’s only preseason roster moves to consist of signing and waiving Exhibit 10 players.

Previously:

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