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Central Notes: Ball, Westbrook, Turner, Mobley

August 31st, 2022 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls have become more optimistic about the condition of Lonzo Ball‘s injured left knee, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago said on the Bulls Talk podcast, though he cautioned that it’s still a “fluid situation.” Johnson added that it’s still impossible to determine when Ball will be ready to play, but the last two times he has checked with the team, the reports have been more positive than negative.

“I’m not saying that means he’s out there opening night. I’m not saying he’s playing all 82,” Johnson said. “What I’m saying is the skepticism that was earlier in the offseason has moved a little bit toward the optimism side.”

Ball had surgery in January for a torn meniscus and was originally expected to return before the end of the season. A bone bruise interfered with his rehab process, and there’s still not a definite timetable for him with training camp less than four weeks away.

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The Pacers should aggressively pursue a Russell Westbrook trade with the Lakers, argues Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. Doyel doesn’t expect Westbrook to become a star again in Indiana, but he says taking on the $47MM expiring contract would be worth it to get L.A.’s first-round picks in 2027 and 2029. Doyel also points to Myles Turner and Buddy Hield as the best return the Lakers are likely to get for Westbrook. Doyel adds that the value of the two first-rounders is that they can be moved in other deals to help build around Tyrese Haliburton.
  • Turner, who’s headed for free agency in 2023, is expected to want more than $20MM a year in his next contract, according to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype. That price will affect his trade value as the Pacers look for potential deals.
  • Cavaliers associate head coach Greg Buckner calls Evan Mobley “H.O.F.” and believes he can develop into one of the best players in league history (audio link from Mat Issa of Basketball News). “Evan’s a worker, by all means,” Buckner said. “I think Evan, when it’s all said and done, will be a top-20 player [all-time], if he stays healthy.”
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Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Central Division

August 29th, 2022 at 12:52pm 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 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 roster situation in Chicago looks pretty straightforward. The 15 players on guaranteed contracts are all good bets to open the season on the 15-man roster, and Hill is probably the frontrunner to fill the second two-way spot.

Barring a surprise, the main lingering question is whether the Bulls will remain committed to having Lewis fill one of their two-way slots after he suffered an ACL injury.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Sexton’s restricted free agency is the only major issue the Cavaliers have yet to resolve. They reportedly have a three-year, $40MM offer out to Sexton, who is seeking a larger payday — the Cavs seem unlikely to increase that offer, since they’re only about $13MM below the luxury tax line and are committed to staying out of tax territory.

If Sexton returns, either on that three-year offer or on his qualifying offer, the Cavs will have 16 players on standard contracts and could trade or release a player with a guaranteed salary in order to carry both Stevens and Wade. Osman and Windler are among the candidates to be the odd man out in that scenario.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons have to trade or waive two players on guaranteed contracts before opening night. Walker is the most obvious candidate to be one of them — a report nearly two months ago indicated he and the team were close to finalizing a buyout agreement, but Detroit may be hanging onto him to see if his expiring contract can be used in a trade.

Lee and McGruder are among the candidates to be the other roster casualty, with Lee perhaps more at risk — it would be an unusual move for the Pistons to sign McGruder to a fully guaranteed contract in free agency only to release him a couple months later.

Indiana Pacers

After having their offer sheet for Deandre Ayton matched, the Pacers have a ton of cap room available and continue to explore various ways to use it. There’s also still a possibility Indiana will make a trade involving Hield and/or Turner, so the roster is far from set.

If no trades are forthcoming, the Pacers would have three roster spots to fill — one on their projected 15-man squad, along with a pair of two-way deals. Brown – one of this year’s last remaining unsigned draftees – seems more likely to end up on a two-way contract than a standard deal, but Indiana could go either way with him, depending on how the rest of the offseason plays out.

Milwaukee Bucks

If a rival suitor were interested in making a serious play for Nwora, it probably would’ve happened by now, so a return to Milwaukee is the likeliest outcome for his restricted free agency. If he re-signs, he’d fill the final open spot on the Bucks’ 15-man roster — and with both two-way slots filled, the team’s roster would look pretty set.

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Playing Caruso Less Could Be Beneficial

August 27th, 2022 at 10:17am CST by Dana Gauruder

Playing hard-charging Alex Caruso less might produce better results for the Bulls guard, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes, arguing that Caruso’s style lends itself to playing in shorter bursts. Rookie Dalen Terry, another high-energy defender, could take away a few of Caruso’s minutes and that actually might be a good thing.

Caruso averaged 7.4 PPG, 4.0 APG and 1.7 SPG in his first year with the Bulls while being limited to 41 games due to injuries. He’s entering the second year of his four-year, $37MM contract.

  • A breakout season from power forward Patrick Williams could be the Bulls’ biggest hope for internal improvement, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson. Williams missed most of last season due to a wrist injury. However, his skills could go a long way toward helping the Bulls fare better against the conference’s elite, Johnson notes, as he’ll often draw the opponent’s top player defensively.
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Bulls Reportedly Interested In Kostas Antetokounmpo

August 24th, 2022 at 10:00pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bulls are showing interest in former NBA big man Kostas Antetokounmpo, according to Christos Tsaltas of SDNA.gr.

Antetokounmpo spent the 2021/22 season with LCLC ASVEL, the champion of the French LNB Pro A league that also competes in the EuroLeague. However, he’s interested in an NBA return, and after a strong recent performance with the Greek national team in a victory over Turkey, Antetokounmpo was contacted by Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, Tsaltas reports, per Google Translate.

According to our roster count tracker, Chicago currently has 15 players signed to guaranteed standard deals, with undrafted rookie Justin Lewis, who underwent surgery last week for a torn ACL, on a two-way contract. The Bulls also have Malcolm Hill as a two-way restricted free agent.

Antetokounmpo only has three years of NBA experience, so he’d be eligible for a two-way deal for one more season, assuming the two sides are interested in that arrangement.

The 60th pick of the 2018 draft after one season at Dayton, Antetokounmpo spent his rookie season on a two-way deal with the Mavericks. He only appeared in two games at the NBA level, spending most of the season with Dallas’ G League affiliate, the Texas Legends.

Dallas waived the 24-year-old in the summer of 2019, but he was claimed by the Lakers, winning a title with L.A. in 2020 as a two-way player. In 20 games with the Lakers from 2019-2021, he played just 76 total minutes, having spent most of his time with South Bay, the team’s NBAGL affiliate.

It’s worth noting that Chicago’s reported interest in Antetokoumpo comes on the heels of his older brother, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, stating that he might be open to playing for the Bulls in the future.

The Greek national team has a couple of upcoming qualifying games for the 2023 FIBA World Cup before heading to Italy for the EuroBasket tournament, which tips off on September 1, as Tasos Kokkinidis of GreekReporter.com relays.

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Andre Drummond Finds “Fun” In Changing Teams

August 21st, 2022 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Andre Drummond may have entered a journeyman phase of his NBA career, but he’s trying to enjoy the experience, writes Mike Anthony of The New Haven Register.

Drummond signed a two-year contract with the Bulls this summer that includes a $3.36MM player option for the 2023/24 season. The 29-year-old center played for the Sixers and Nets last season, and Chicago will be his fifth team since 2020 after spending his first seven-and-a-half years with the Pistons.

“It’s like a field trip,” Drummond said Saturday during a visit to Connecticut for a youth basketball program. “I’ve moved around a lot. But I just control what I can control. For me, it’s kind of fun. You’ve got to look at it as a fun journey. Being in one place eight straight years, I loved Detroit. Detroit gave me the career I have today. To see different cities and be with different organizations, I’ve taken it as a fun time, experiencing different cultures.”

Drummond is coming off a disjointed season in which he had to adjust to a different role halfway through. He was comfortable as a backup to Joel Embiid in Philadelphia, but he was sent to Brooklyn in February as part of the James Harden deal. He became the Nets’ starting center and posted 11.8 points and 10.3 rebounds in 24 games despite playing just 22.3 minutes per night.

Drummond hopes to have several more years in the NBA and wants to keep playing as long as he can. The two-time All-Star has led the league in rebounding four times, and he told Anthony that he would like to be remembered as the best rebounder in the history of the league.

“I think I’m already there,” he said. “I’m on my way. By the time I retire, I’ll go down as the best rebounder ever — if not already.”

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Examining 10 Season-Defining Games For Bulls

August 20th, 2022 at 1:44pm CST by JD Shaw
  • Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic examines 10 games that will define the Bulls‘ season. The first game on Mayberry’s list is October 19’s season-opener against the Heat, which will be played in Miami. The team lost all four of its games to the Heat last season. Miami finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference last season (53-29), while Chicago was 46-36.
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More Than 30 NBA Players On Track To Suit Up For EuroBasket

August 18th, 2022 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The first EuroBasket tournament in five years will tip off in two weeks and there are currently 34 NBA players on track to participate in the event, representing 17 different countries, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net.

EuroBasket is a 24-team international basketball competition also known as the European Basketball Championship. It historically took place every two years, but that gap was recently adjusted to four years, emulating the FIBA World Cup schedule.

The last EuroBasket tournament was played in 2017 — the next one had been scheduled for 2021, but was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. As a result, after being played every two years since 1947, it has now been five years since the last EuroBasket tournament, easily the longest layoff since World War II.

It’s possible that some NBA players will be cut from their teams’ rosters or will have to drop out due to injuries or personal reasons before the event begins on September 1, but in general enthusiasm to participate in the long-awaited event appears high.

Here’s the list of NBAers currently set to play in EuroBasket, per Eurohoops:

There are also multiple NBA free agents on EuroBasket rosters, including French swingman Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and German guard Dennis Schröder.

A number of young NBA players, such as 2022 draftees Jeremy Sochan and Nikola Jovic, have dropped out to focus on getting ready for the 2022/23 season, while others, including Bogdan Bogdanovic (Serbia) and Frank Ntilikina (France), were ruled out due to injuries.

Round robin play will begin on September 1, with each team facing the other five clubs in its group once. The top four teams in each group will advance to a 16-team bracket that begins on September 10. The final will take place on September 18, just over a week before NBA training camps get underway.

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Bulls Have Just 14 Games On National TV

August 17th, 2022 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • The Bulls will only have 14 nationally televised games — seven on ESPN, three on TNT and four on NBA TV — which Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic sees as a disappointing number for a playoff team in a major market. Examining Chicago’s schedule, Mayberry notes that a lot of conference tests will come early, with 12 of the Bulls’ first 13 games against Eastern teams.
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Bulls Sign Carlik Jones To Exhibit 10 Contract

August 16th, 2022 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have signed guard Carlik Jones to a training camp contract, as tweeted by Keith Smith of Spotrac and confirmed by Jones himself.

The deal is a one-year, non-guaranteed contract that includes Exhibit 10 language, Hoops Rumors has learned. That means it could be converted into a two-way contract before the regular season begins or it could put Jones in line for a bonus worth up to $50K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate.

Jones, 24, went undrafted out of Louisville in 2021 and spent most of his first professional season with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League team. He made the All-NBAGL Third Team and the All-NBAGL Rookie Team by averaging 21.1 PPG, 7.5 APG, and 4.7 RPG in 33 regular season G League contests (35.6 MPG).

Jones also signed a 10-day contract with the Mavericks and another with the Nuggets, appearing in five NBA games as a rookie. He subsequently suited up for the Bulls in last month’s Las Vegas Summer League, registering 11.6 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 2.2 SPG with a scorching hot .548/.667/.846 shooting line in five appearances (24.7 MPG).

Chicago is carrying 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so there likely won’t be room for Jones on the regular season roster. However, the team has one two-way slot open and its only current two-way player, Justin Lewis, is facing ACL surgery, meaning there may be a path to a two-way deal for Jones.

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Bulls Confirm Justin Lewis Will Undergo Surgery On ACL

August 16th, 2022 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Bulls rookie forward Justin Lewis has injured the ACL in his right knee, the team confirmed today in a press release. According to the announcement, Lewis will undergo surgery at some point in the coming weeks and will be out indefinitely.

Lewis’ knee injury was first reported last Thursday by K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, who said at the time that there was concern about the possibility of an ACL tear. The Bulls technically didn’t confirm in their statement that Lewis’ ACL is torn, but the fact that he’s going under the knife and being ruled out indefinitely strongly suggests that’s the diagnosis.

It’s a brutal blow for the former Marquette standout, who caught on with Chicago on a two-way contract this summer after going undrafted. Lewis had a breakout sophomore season in 2021/22, averaging 16.8 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 32 games (32.2 MPG) for the Golden Eagles. He played for the Bulls’ Summer League team in Las Vegas last month before injuring his knee last week.

While the Bulls didn’t announce a specific timeline for Lewis’ return to the court, ACL tears typically sideline NBA players for a full year. If Lewis does indeed have a torn ACL, it’s unlikely we’ll see him in action until the 2023/24 season.

It’s unclear whether the Bulls will keep Lewis under contract all season or whether they’ll waive him and use that two-way slot on another player, given that he’s only on a one-year deal. If he’s released, the 20-year-old would likely be given the opportunity to remain around the team and use the Bulls’ facilities during his rehab process.

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