Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: LaVine, DeRozan, Holiday, Hill, Bucks, Pacers

May 7th, 2022 at 11:56am CST by Rory Maher

Should the Bulls be worried about Zach LaVine going to another team as an unrestricted free agent this summer? Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic explores that topic, noting that while Chicago can offer LaVine more years and money (five years, $212MM) than other teams (four years, $157MM), the two-time All-Star was noncommittal at his end-of-season media session.

“I’ve been here for the last five years, and I’ve really enjoyed my time,” LaVine said. “I think the city – and I hope everybody – understands how much I care about the Bulls and what I’ve done for the city and things like that.

“Obviously, you guys have been a really soft spot in my heart, and I have to do this as a business decision as a man, not to just be viewed one way, and be, like, ‘I’m automatically coming back’ or ‘I’m automatically leaving.’ It’s unrestricted free agency. For my family and me, I have to go into this like it’s a decision where I have to be open-eyed.”

Here’s more from the Central:

In a question and answer session with Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, Bulls star DeMar DeRozan said he thinks Bucks guard Jrue Holiday is the most underrated player in the NBA at the moment. “Wow, that’s a great one … most underrated … most underrated from my opinion and one of my favorite players to watch I would say is Jrue Holiday, yeah, Jrue Holiday,” DeRozan said.
Bucks veteran guard George Hill is listed as probable for Saturday’s Game 3 against the Celtics, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Hill has been dealing with an abdominal strain and has yet to play this postseason, but he was able to practice on Thursday and could see some action today.
Jamal Collier of ESPN lists four keys to the Bucks repeating as NBA champions this season. One key is making up for the production of injured star Khris Middleton, who’s sidelined with a sprained MCL. “Khris clearly is a huge part of what we do, but we have a lot of talented guys on our team,” Brook Lopez said. “We’re going to see a lot of different guys, I think, stepping up on different nights.”
Keifer Sykes recently spoke to James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star about his rookie season with the Pacers. Sykes was waived by the team just before the season ended. “I did everything that I could do,” Sykes said. “Even when I look up and think about the day I got cut, the night before, after that (last home) game, I was in the gym until like 12 or 1 a.m., so I squeezed everything I got out of the Pacers thing. That’s not gonna stop me from having camps back home and finishing it with this one. I’m very much at peace with the situation. … A lot of players don’t have peace in free agency.”
Sykes was waived to accommodate standard deals for undrafted Pacers rookies Terry Taylor and Duane Washington, who were both promoted from two-way contracts. Taylor said it was a dream come true, as Boyd relays in another story. “My agent called me and was like, ‘Yo, we’re gonna get this done Thursday (April 7),’ so he was telling me congrats,” Taylor said. “After we hung up the phone, I just prayed because it finally happened. My dream came true.”

Williams' Development Key Offseason Question

May 2nd, 2022 at 7:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Zach LaVine‘s unrestricted free agency and Patrick Williams‘ development are among the offseason questions looming over the Bulls, according to Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Roster Decisions, Offseason

April 29th, 2022 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today to reporters, including K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter links), Bulls president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said his hope is to have Zach LaVine in Chicago going forward and that he’s confident the two sides can work out a new deal, given their strong relationship. LaVine will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Addressing LaVine’s left knee injury, which was a nagging issue for much of the 2021/22 season, Karnisovas suggested it’s unlikely to be a major factor in free agency negotiations and that a final determination hasn’t been made on whether the All-Star guard will require surgery. As Johnson notes, an MRI on the knee showed nothing structurally wrong that would create long-term concern, but surgery still appears likely.

In his own session with the media, LaVine confirmed that he’s going to meet with his doctor in Los Angeles to determine the best plan of action for his knee (Twitter link via Johnson). He also stated that free agency is a “big decision” for him and his family and that he intends to take his time to consider all his options (Twitter link via Johnson).

While LaVine said he’ll leave it to his agent and the Bulls’ front office to try to work out a deal, he admitted that being a maximum-salary player is important to him, tweets Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago: “I see myself as a top guy in this league and I think I’ve proven that over the last four years.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

Besides retaining LaVine, Karnisovas likes the idea of keeping the Bulls’ roster mostly intact and making minor changes around the edges, tweets Schaefer. “Hopefully we can keep the core together and work around the margins,” Karnisovas said.
Lonzo Ball is on board with Karnisovas’ plan to maintain the current core, writes Sam Smith of Bulls.com. “I would love to run it back,” Ball said. “I was unhealthy this year. (Alex) Caruso went down. Pat(rick Williams) was pretty much out all the way until the playoffs. Everyone knows Zach was playing hurt pretty much this whole year. If everybody can get healthy and come back, I don’t see why we couldn’t run it back.” DeMar DeRozan added that he has “the utmost trust and faith in the front office to do the job,” Smith writes.
In his Bulls offseason preview, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype examines LaVine’s free agency, a possible extension for Nikola Vucevic, and more.

Donovan Tries To Temper Expectations

April 28th, 2022 at 8:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Which players should the Bulls retain and which ones should they shed? Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic takes a closer look at that topic in a player-by-player breakdown. Mayberry’s position on unrestricted free agent Zach LaVine? He’s one of the keepers.
DeMar DeRozan said he’s open to recruiting players to Chicago, but Bulls coach Billy Donovan said no matter what happens in the offseason, expectations need to be tempered, Jon Greenberg of The Athletic writes. “I think you have to be careful, and what I mean by that is, we got off to a really, really good start this year,” he said. “And it was really impressive to me with a new group that hadn’t had a lot of time together that they could jell and mesh the way they did. We’ll actually have to work harder going into this offseason and next year to even get back to this point.”

Bulls Notes: DeRozan, LaVine, Continuity, Williams, White

April 28th, 2022 at 3:34pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls All-Star DeMar DeRozan says he has no doubt that All-Star teammate Zach LaVine deserves a max contract this summer, writes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. As an unrestricted free agent with seven years of experience, LaVine is eligible for a five-year deal from Chicago worth approximately $212MM.

“Yeah. Max player, max talent, max everything,” DeRozan said when asked if LaVine is a max-worthy player after the Bulls’ season-ending loss to the Bucks Wednesday night. “He’s one of those players in this league that you don’t see too often. I tell him all the time how envious I am of the things he’s able to do. He deserves everything that’s coming to him for sure.”

DeRozan added that LaVine is extremely competitive in everything he does, on and off the court.

“(He’s) just the ultimate competitor,” DeRozan said of LaVine. “That’s the best way I can sum it up. No matter what it is. I remember, we played tic tac toe on the plane, and I kept beating him and he wouldn’t leave me alone until he beat me. And that’s just him on the court as well.”

Here’s more from Chicago:

Center Nikola Vucevic said the front office and coaches stressed continuity in his season-ending exit interview following the team’s playoff ouster. “They want to have continuity, that’s for sure,” Vucevic said, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “As far as moves they can make, I don’t really know that. That’s their job.”
DeRozan also believes the team’s core will return next season, but that doesn’t mean management won’t look to improve the roster if the opportunity presents itself (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago). “Just like we’re competitors, they are as well — for the right reasons,” DeRozan said.
Forward Patrick Williams says he’s looking to improve his consistency next season and has studied DeRozan’s habits to learn how to prepare as a pro. For his part, DeRozan says he plans to invite Williams and other teammates to work out with him in L.A. this summer (all Twitter links courtesy of Johnson and Schaefer from NBC Sports Chicago).
Coby White, who’s eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, said management told him to keep working on his ball-handling and to build up his strength in order to become a better defender, as Schaefer relays (via Twitter).

Lonzo Ball’s Rehab At “Standstill,” Will Visit Specialist Next Week

April 28th, 2022 at 2:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, who was officially ruled out for the season on April 6 after experiencing a couple of setbacks in his surgically-repaired left knee, says his rehab is “kind of at a standstill right now,” according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

Ball plans to visit another specialist next week, as he’s still experiencing pain from the bone bruise in his knee.

“Kind of let it calm down for the last two weeks. I was going at it pretty hard trying to get back as fast as possible,” Ball said. “But like I said, at a standstill, still have pain. So gotta get that figured out this summer for sure.”

Ball said he isn’t sure whether he’ll need a second surgery, but hopes to avoid it if possible.

“Hopefully not. I wouldn’t want to have another one,” he said. “But if that’s what it takes, then I pretty much have no choice at this point.”

As Johnson notes, injuries have been a concern for Ball throughout his pro career. The January surgery to repair his torn meniscus was the second time he’s had a procedure to repair the same cartilage in his left knee, the first occurring in 2017.

Ball has appeared in 252 of a possible 390 games in his five-year career, including 35 of 82 this season. He admitted something needs to change in the offseason.

“Obviously, something needs to be addressed this summer—a lot more leg workouts as opposed to probably upper body,” Ball said, per Johnson. “I’m going to work with the doctors and the strength coaches and do what I gotta do to get healthy.”

Acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with New Orleans last offseason, Ball played a major role in Chicago’s impressive first half. He started 35 games at point guard, averaging 13.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.1 APG, and 1.8 SPG with a .423 3PT% and strong defense. The Bulls went 22-13 in games he played, and 24-23 without him.

The 24-year-old will earn $19.5MM in 2022/23, the second season of his four-year, $80MM contract with Chicago, which includes a player option in 2024/25.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Vucevic, Bradley, DeRozan

April 27th, 2022 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

A new contract for Zach LaVine will be among the Bulls‘ top priorities for the offseason, writes Bobby Marks of ESPN. LaVine, who has been a bargain on the four-year, $80MM offer sheet that Chicago matched in 2018, ranked 58th in the league in salary this season at $19.5MM, Marks notes.

Coming off back-to-back All-Star appearances, LaVine is eligible for a five-year max contract worth approximately $212MM. The only concern for the Bulls is durability, Marks adds, as LaVine missed 15 games this season, which was the fewest in his five years in Chicago.

Eleven of those games were due to soreness in his left knee, which had to be surgically repaired in 2017, and LaVine will likely have surgery on the knee again this offseason. His current contract contains a clause that protects the Bulls in case of a catastrophic injury to the knee, but the team shouldn’t expect him to agree to that in a new deal, according to Marks.

Marks cites five teams — the Pistons, Pacers, Magic, Spurs and Trail Blazers — that project to have enough cap space to make LaVine a $36.6MM max offer.

There’s more from Chicago:

Another major decision is a potential four-year, $118MM extension for center Nikola Vucevic, Marks states in the same piece. Vucevic, who was acquired at the 2021 trade deadline, regressed somewhat in his first full season with the Bulls, finishing fifth worst in the league in effective field goal percentage among players who took at least 500 shots and declining in three-point shooting from 40% to 31%. Marks suggests he might receive a two-year, $40MM extension similar to what Clint Capela got from the Hawks last year.
Tony Bradley, who started 10 games at center this season, has until June 29 to decide on his $2MM player option for 2022/23, Marks adds. Bradley only averaged 10 minutes per night in 55 games in his first season in Chicago, and he can make $100K more next season on a veteran’s minimum contract.
LaVine missed tonight’s game after being placed in health and safety protocols, and it may have been difficult for him to return if the Bulls had extended the series. “He’s pretty sick,” coach Billy Donovan said. “… He’s definitely under the weather, just in my communication with him.” (video link from NBC Sports Chicago)
Even though it ended with a first-round loss, DeMar DeRozan was very happy with his first season as a Bull, tweets KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “Perfect. Couldn’t have went a better way,” DeRozan said. “It’s been a great year to say the least. Just being around the front office, teammates, city. Everything has been something more than I could’ve imagined.”

Zach LaVine Expected To Undergo Knee Surgery After Season

April 27th, 2022 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Bulls guard Zach LaVine, who has been bothered for much of the year by left knee problems, is expected to undergo surgery after the team’s season ends in order to address the injury, a source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. It will likely be an arthroscopic procedure, Cowley adds.

LaVine’s ongoing knee issue hasn’t caused him to miss a ton of time this season, but he has been affected by the injury for months. When he discussed his knee in early March and suggested he could require offseason surgery, LaVine said that he felt like he was still one of the best players in the NBA even at 70% or 80% of his usual self.

However, a source close to the situation tells Cowley that LaVine was “more like 50%, and that’s on a good day.” According to Cowley’s source, the maintenance on the knee for the past few months has often been an “all-day ordeal.” It has been bad timing for 27-year-old, who earned the opportunity to play in the postseason for the first time this spring and who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Still, there’s no sense that LaVine’s knee problem is degenerative or that it will affect him long-term, Cowley says, so the hope is that he’ll be able to get back to his old self following his recovery from surgery. According to Cowley, the expectation remains that the Bulls and LaVine will discuss a maximum-salary contract this offseason.

LaVine has been ruled out for Game 5 of the Bulls’ first-round series vs. Milwaukee after being placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. With the Bucks holding a 3-1 lead, it’s possible Chicago’s season will be over in a matter of hours, in which case LaVine and the team could start making plans for his surgery very soon.

Bulls’ LaVine, Caruso Listed As Out For Game 5

April 27th, 2022 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls will be missing a handful of important backcourt players on Wednesday as they look to stave off elimination in their series against the Bucks. Down 3-1 and already without Lonzo Ball, Chicago has also ruled out Zach LaVine (COVID-19 protocols) and Alex Caruso (concussion protocol) for Game 5, according to the NBA’s latest injury report.

LaVine was the Bulls’ second-leading scorer during the regular season with 24.4 PPG on .476/.389/.853 shooting, while Caruso was the club’s top perimeter defender, so Chicago will take a hit on both sides of the ball as a result of their absences.

The Bucks are dealing with some injury issues of their own, with Khris Middleton (left MCL sprain) still sidelined and George Hill (abdominal strain) listed as questionable after missing the first four games of the series. However, those absences didn’t slow them down at all in Games 3 or 4 — the Bucks won those two games in Chicago by a combined total of 54 points and now have an opportunity to close out the shorthanded Bulls in Milwaukee.

With LaVine and Caruso unavailable, the Bulls will have to lean more heavily on players like Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, and Javonte Green as they attempt to extend the series.

Zach LaVine Enters Protocols, Will Likely Miss Game 5

April 26th, 2022 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls guard Zach LaVine has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and is expected to miss Game 5 of the series with the Bucks on Wednesday, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

LaVine won’t travel with his teammates when they leave for Milwaukee today, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). He and the team will follow the procedures recommended by the league, and he will undergo further testing before Wednesday’s game.

This is LaVine’s third COVID-19 experience in the past 12 months, notes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). LaVine was also placed in protocols last April and again in December, and he had a close contact scare that forced him to take a later flight to the Olympics in July.

The loss of LaVine would be devastating for the Bulls as they try to extend the series following two blowout losses in Chicago. LaVine, who is in the playoffs for the first time in his career, is averaging 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.0 points per game and is coming off a 24-point, 13-assist performance in Sunday’s Game 4.