Josh Giddey

Central Notes: Williams, Pacers, Bucks Tourney Run, Lillard

December 12th, 2024 at 3:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls forward Patrick Williams practiced in full on Thursday and is on track to play approximately 20-to-24 minutes on Friday, head coach Billy Donovan told K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network and other media members (Twitter link). Williams has been sidelined since Nov. 18 due to a foot injury.

The Bulls held guard Josh Giddey (back tightness) out of practice, but there’s optimism he’ll play on Friday against Charlotte.

We have more on the Central Division:

The Pacers practiced on Tuesday and Thursday due to a gap in their schedule. After losing five of their last six, the team was happy to get some time to try to fix its issues, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “We certainly would have loved to have been a part of the quarterfinals like we did last year at the in-season tournament,” veteran backup point guard T.J. McConnell said. “But we’ve gotta look at it a different way. It’s a different season. Guys are working their way back so it can be very beneficial to work on getting them back and stuff that we need to improve on.”
Following a very slow start, the Bucks are above .500 and headed to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semifinals after defeating Orlando. Coach Doc Rivers said that the NBA Cup has provided some extra incentive. “You set a goal and you try to reach it, right?” Rivers said, per ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “Our goal is not just to get to Vegas, we want to win this thing.”
Damian Lillard has adjusted his game to fit the Bucks’ style and personnel. He’s driving into the paint more, though it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll take the shot. It often turn into a “hockey assist” or a direct assist to a teammate, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. “It’s like completely changing your game and for someone that’s been the best at what he does his whole career, who’s going down as one of the greatest of all time, that’s such a wild ask,” center Brook Lopez said. “But for him to still be as good as he is and our team to be successful and winning right now, it’s a testament to the player he is. It shows he is one of the greatest of all time.”

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

December 5th, 2024 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

Bulls forward Patrick Williams, who has been out since November 18 due to inflammation in his surgically repaired left foot, won’t play in either game of the team’s back-to-back set on Thursday (in San Antonio) and Friday (vs. Indiana), tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network.

Although Williams didn’t practice with the team on Wednesday, he did work out individually, according to head coach Billy Donovan, who said the 23-year-old’s window to potentially return opens next week.

Given that he has yet to practice, Williams may not be ready to go for Sunday’s game vs. Philadelphia, but the Bulls will have four days off after that before hosting the Hornets next Friday — it sounds like he could return for that contest.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

While he admits that his first 22 games this season have been “up and down,” Josh Giddey said he’s doing his best to help the Bulls in any way he can and isn’t thinking about trying to make the team look good for its decision to give up Alex Caruso for him over the summer, as Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic relays. “Anytime you get traded for a player like (Caruso), I mean, there was a lot of talk about it, whether it was a good trade or a bad trade,” Giddey said. “I don’t buy too much into that. I’m confident in myself and what I can do. These guys make it easy for me to play. I’m not trying to come in here and be anything more than myself. Find ways I can fit in and make this group better.”
Coby White will miss a second consecutive game on Thursday due to a left ankle sprain, per Johnson (Twitter links), though Mayberry suggests White shouldn’t be out for an extended period. Another Bulls guard, Lonzo Ball, has been ruled out for Thursday’s game, according to Johnson, but that’s just a case of the team managing his usage in a back-to-back — the plan is to have him active on Friday against the Pacers.
Coming off a season-ending injury, surrounded by trade rumors, and facing questions about the size of contract, Zach LaVine could easily have come into camp as a disgruntled star this fall, but the Bulls continue to be impressed by his positive attitude, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. LaVine told reporters on Wednesday that he’s “in a really good spot mentally,” which hasn’t gone unnoticed by head coach Billy Donovan. “Whatever his frustrations were, they were,” Donovan said. “But he’s been able to digest that, go through that himself mentally, and get to the place he is now. I really respect everything he’s done. … He’s in a really good headspace.”
LaVine added that he’s enjoyed being called upon for more challenging defensive assignments this season, as Cowley notes. “This year has opened my eyes up a little bit to where you look at guys that I watched: Kobe (Bryant), Michael (Jordan), D-Wade (Dwyane Wade), and it’s like, ‘I’ve always been in great shape, but OK, you have to be in top-tier … strong too.'” LaVine said. “Yeah, it takes a little bit away (from the offense), but mentally that’s where you have to dig deep and see how much you want it. I like taking on those challenges right now.”

Bulls Notes: Potential Trades, Giddey, Ball, Backcourt

November 30th, 2024 at 8:29am CST by Luke Adams

After Jake Fischer reported on Friday that the Bulls are open to discussing the “majority of their roster” in trade talks this season, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link) confirms that rival teams are viewing Chicago as a probable in-season seller. Those rivals believe the Bulls will likely want to take steps to ensure they finish among the NBA’s bottom 10 teams and hang onto their top-10 protected first-round pick.

Still, there’s some skepticism about just how much value Chicago will be able to extract in return for the players believed to be trade candidates, such as Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.

“It makes sense for them to trade a veteran, especially if it opens more playing time for rookie (Matas Buzelis)” an executive told ESPN. “But who are they trading that would make a difference? They’ve been trying to move LaVine for more than a year but there’s been no good market. They want to keep (Coby) White, and Vucevic is on the books for $21 million next year.”

Here’s more out of Chicago:

Rival teams are also monitoring the Bulls’ usage of Josh Giddey, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Insider link), who says opposing scouts and executives have “noted” Giddey’s recent dip in playing time. Giddey, who will be a restricted free agent in 2025, has started all 21 games for the Bulls so far this season, but has played more than 26 minutes just twice in his past nine games, and his on/off-court numbers haven’t been great, as Bontemps notes. Even after Giddey was a +14 in 24 minutes on Friday, the Bulls have a -7.3 net rating in his 565 minutes this season, compared to a -2.9 mark in the 443 minutes he hasn’t played.
As Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune observes, Giddey was replaced by Lonzo Ball in the Bulls’ closing lineup on Friday vs. Boston for defensive reasons. Giddey didn’t play the final 8:43 of the loss, while Ball surpassed his anticipated 16-minute limit midway through the fourth quarter and logged a season-high 21:40. Head coach Billy Donovan consulted with both Ball and the Bulls’ medical team before making that decision, Poe writes.
Donovan raved after the game about Ball’s ability to impact a game even when his shot isn’t falling, as Kyle Williams of The Chicago Sun-Times relays. “The steals, the disruption, the hands, knocking down his first couple threes,” Donovan said. “Even if he missed those two shots, he still had a huge impact on the game.” The Bulls’ head coach added that reintegrating Ball into a crowded backcourt rotation hasn’t been an issue, since his players – including Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu – have been positive about the adjustments to their roles. “The unselfishness part of all the guards has been really key,” Donovan said. “I think Lonzo having that stint of 15 or 16 minutes, getting him out there, the team is excited for him. What makes it easier for me is the way those guys have handled it. It’s never been like, ‘Hey, I’m the point guard.’ They’ve all been willing to give up something for the betterment of each other.”
A win over the Celtics on Friday would’ve secured the Bulls’ spot in the NBA Cup knockout round. Instead, they’ve been eliminated from contention, having finished the group stage with a 2-2 record. The Hawks (3-1) won Chicago’s group (East Group C) and earned a place in the quarterfinals.

Fischer: Bulls Open To Discussing ‘Majority Of Their Roster’

November 29th, 2024 at 3:37pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bulls are viewed as a prime candidate to sell off veterans ahead of the February 6 trade deadline, Jake Fischer writes on Marc Stein’s Substack page.

As Fischer explains, Chicago has been fairly competitive thus far, currently holding an 8-12 record. But winning too many games could jeopardize the Bulls’ first-round pick, which will convey to San Antonio if it falls outside of the top 10 in next year’s draft (Chicago will keep the pick if it lands in the top 10).

That’s why the Bulls have been signaling to rival teams that they’re open to discussing the “majority of their roster” ahead of the February 6 trade deadline, league sources tell Fischer. Unsurprisingly, Fischer hears Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball top the list of players Chicago would like to move.

The Bulls have reportedly been trying to trade LaVine for well over a year, but have yet to find a suitable deal due to his injury history and maximum-salary contract — he’ll earn a combined $89MM this season and next, with a $49MM player option for ’26/27.

The 29-year-old has been productive this season, averaging 21.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 4.3 APG on a sparkling .510/.434/.814 shooting line through 17 games (33.7 MPG). He has also reportedly mended fences with head coach Billy Donovan.

However, three teams who previously held some level of interest in the two-time All-Star — the Kings, Warriors and Pistons — are now considered unlikely suitors for LaVine, according to Fischer.

Here’s more on the Bulls from Fischer’s latest story:

He doesn’t explicitly mention him by name, but Fischer strongly suggests multiple rival teams would want young players Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips included in any package for taking on LaVine’s contract.
Vucevic, who is having the most accurate shooting season of his career from all over the court (62.5% on twos, 44.9% on threes, 86.0% on free throws), should have positive trade value. One GM told Fischer he thinks the former All-Star center could net the Bulls a couple of second-round picks. The 34-year-old is earning $20MM in ’24/25, followed by $21.5MM in ’25/26.
Rival teams haven’t shown much interest in forward Patrick Williams, according to Fischer. Williams, who is currently sidelined with a foot injury, re-signed with Chicago as a restricted free agent over the summer, inking a five-year, $90MM deal.
Is Josh Giddey a lock to stay in Chicago? Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that Chicago and Giddey didn’t have any meaningful discussions about a rookie scale extension prior to October’s deadline, and Fischer hears the Bulls never even made the 22-year-old an offer. Giddey will be a restricted free agent in 2025, and his play and minutes have been inconsistent early in his Bulls tenure.
Fischer suggests contending teams might have some interest in Jevon Carter, but I’d be shocked if he has anything but negative trade value. The veteran guard didn’t play well last season in his first campaign with Chicago, he’s only played 48 total minutes in ’24/25, and he makes $6.5MM this season, with a $6.8MM player option for ’25/26 that he’s virtually certain to exercise.

Central Notes: Bulls, Giddey, Turner, Ivey

November 18th, 2024 at 5:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls face the Pistons on Monday and they’ll be looking to bounce back from two woeful defensive performances. After giving up 144 points to Cleveland on Friday, they surrendered 143 in a 36-point loss to Houston on Sunday.

“It’s just a compete thing; you got to compete at a higher level,” guard Coby White said, per Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times. “We got to be more physical. We got to take a stand; giving up 140-plus in back-to-back games is unacceptable. It’s embarrassing, it’s a disservice to the organization, a disservice to the fanbase.”

Chicago dropped to 5-9 with the loss.

“We got to be a lot tougher collectively,” wing Zach LaVine said. “We just can’t let it snowball like it did (Sunday). We’ve been playing well all year and competitive. (Sunday) was the total opposite of that.”

We have more from the Central Division:

One of the defensive issues for the Bulls is that opponents have been targeting offseason acquisition Josh Giddey. The team’s defensive rating has been significantly worse with Giddey on the floor, Williams notes. “We’ve got to get better at being able to do multiple things and we’ve got to help him find solutions,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Then the other part of it, too, is he’s got to execute. We got to be able to execute the things that we’re in. We’ve got to help give him where he’s got multiple things that he can do, and the ability to move in and out of dead balls or timeouts to change coverages.”
Pacers big man Myles Turner, a free agent after the season, had been disappointed with his approach in recent days, Alex Golden of Setting the Pace tweets. He erupted for 34 points and nine rebounds in a win over Miami on Sunday after two subpar outings. “Publicly, I haven’t liked my attitude the last few days,” he said. “You’ve gotta be an energy giver and take accountability, but I feel like I’ve been kind of an energy sucker, kinda been in my own feelings a little bit…that type of (stuff) is just negative. Obviously it was a great game just growing as a leader, growing as a man. You can’t put that stuff out into the universe, but I’m gonna hold myself accountable for that.” Turner sat out the second game of a back-to-back on Monday due to calf soreness.
Jaden Ivey, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer, had season highs with 28 points and eight assists in a victory over Washington on Sunday. Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been impressed with Ivey’s play this season. “He can hurt you in so many different ways,” Bickerstaff said. “He can get to the basket at will. He’s doing a great job of finding his teammates when people want to commit two bodies to him. And then he picks up full-court most possessions. So he’s setting that head of the snake mentality for our defense as well.”

Eastern Notes: Giddey, Bridges, Sixers, Daniels, Young

November 16th, 2024 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Fourth-year guard Josh Giddey hasn’t been part of the Bulls‘ closing lineup in any of the team’s last four games and was on the bench to start the second half on Friday vs. Cleveland, with Ayo Dosunmu taking his spot in the lineup.

Head coach Billy Donovan insisted after the game that he’s still “got confidence” in Giddey and said the 22-year-old will close games in certain situations, adding that the decision to have Dosunmu on the floor to start the second half on Friday was about Giddey’s three fouls (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network). However, speaking to reporters after the game, Giddey wasn’t willing to use his foul trouble as an excuse for the decision.

“It was horrible from start to finish,” Giddey said of his performance, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I think defensively it was just — and I’m talking about me — it was a mess from the jump. They put me in action, I have to be way better, whether it’s coverage or sitting down and guarding somebody. I don’t even blame it on the fouls. It was part of it, but everything else was just as bad. I wouldn’t have played myself if I was Billy. I was bad on both sides of the ball.”

Giddey’s subpar defense was one reason why he fell out of Oklahoma City’s starting lineup during the playoffs this past spring. Improving on that end of the court has been a point of emphasis for him this fall, which is one reason why he was so disappointed with his showing on Friday against the undefeated Cavaliers.

“It pisses me off to be on that side of the ball and be like that,” said Giddey, who will be a restricted free agent at season’s end. “I thought I was making steps in the right direction. To have a night like I did tonight kind of kills your confidence.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Hornets announced nine days ago that forward Miles Bridges would be reevaluated in two weeks after hyperextending his knee and being diagnosed with a bone bruise. But Bridges’ recovery progressed quicker than anticipated — he was upgraded to available for Saturday afternoon’s matchup with Milwaukee after missing just three games (Twitter link).
While the Sixers‘ 2-10 start to the season is “obviously frustrating,” according to Paul George, and the sense of urgency in Philadelphia has increased, the club isn’t in panic mode, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN that the 76ers also haven’t altered their long-term plan to manage George’s and Joel Embiid‘s minutes during the season in order to keep the stars as healthy as possible for the playoffs.
The Pelicans tried to keep Dyson Daniels out of the Dejounte Murray trade this past offseason, but the Hawks “badly wanted” a player who could help protect Trae Young on defense and insisted on his inclusion, says Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link). Daniels, who is exceeding expectations in Atlanta, had another huge game on Friday in a win over Washington, racking up 25 points and six steals. According to NBA University (Twitter link), he’s the first player since Alvin Robertson in 1986 to record at least six steals in four consecutive games.
Speaking of Young, the Hawks guard was back in action on Friday following a one-game layoff, but admitted the Achilles tendinitis that sidelined him on Tuesday is an issue he may have to continue to manage. “It has been like a random thing throughout the season,” Young said (Twitter link via Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com). “It just started feeling a little bit more uncomfortable before the last game… (Sitting out) was just more of a precaution thing, and sometimes I’m going to have to play through it.”

Bulls Notes: Giddey, Roster, LaVine, Vucevic

November 8th, 2024 at 11:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls were offered as many as two first-round picks for Alex Caruso prior to the 2024 trade deadline, sources confirmed to Jamal Collier of ESPN. Instead, Chicago traded Caruso to Oklahoma City over the summer in a one-for-one swap for fourth-year point guard Josh Giddey in a move that resulted in some outside criticism for the front office.

As Collier details, the Bulls preferred to acquire an established NBA player instead of future draft assets because they want to avoid a full-fledged roster tear-down. They also envision Giddey as a key part of a new-look roster built to employ a run-and-gun style.

“(Giddey) plays exactly how we want to play,” Bulls general manager Marc Eversley told ESPN.

Entering Friday’s action, the Bulls ranked first in the NBA in pace (105.22 possessions for game) and had significantly increased their three-point rate since last season, launching 42.2 attempts per game, good for third in the league. By comparison, the 2023/24 Bulls finished 26th with 32.1 three-point attempts per contest.

“We don’t run, we’re done,” head coach Billy Donovan told his team last month. “It’s that simple. If we run, we’ll have some fun.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

Chicago’s roster moves haven’t translated to on-court success so far this season. The team has a 3-6 record and has struggled defensively. Still, Giddey believes there’s a good foundation in place to build upon, per Collier. “We’ve got pieces,” Giddey said. “It’s not like we’re starting from scratch. It’s a really talented group and whether that’s the first week or the 15th, or somewhere in between, we’ll be where we’re meant to be. We are all buying into what we’re trying to do here.”
The Bulls are still expected to explore the trade market in search of takers for veterans Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic later this season, Collier reports. For now, the focus is on rebuilding the duo’s value following a disappointing 2023/24 campaign. Both players are benefiting from Giddey’s play-making so far — Vucevic’s 58.1% field goal percentage would be a career high, while LaVine’s 49.5% mark would be the second-highest rate of his career.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (video link), he recently asked an NBA general manager what sort of price he’d pay to acquire Vucevic. The GM responded that he’d give up “a couple of” second-round picks. Fischer adds that trading Vucevic during the season is probably more realistic for the Bulls than finding a viable in-season deal for LaVine.

Central Notes: Bulls, Vucevic, Haliburton, Lillard

October 28th, 2024 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Billy Donovan believes the offseason addition of Josh Giddey and the return of Lonzo Ball provide the Bulls with the weapons to play at a much faster pace, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. The biggest problem with that strategy in the early season is the team can’t hold on to the ball.

Chicago had 26 turnovers in Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma City after losing the ball 21 times in the season opener at New Orleans. They did much better in their only victory, limiting turnovers to 10 while beating Milwaukee.

“We’ve got to bring them way back down,” Giddey said. “Guys’ hearts are in the right place. We’re trying to play the right way, the way we want to play. … The way we want to play, up and down, there’s going to be turnovers. But it just cannot be as many as (we’ve had).”

The biggest culprit so far has been Zach LaVine, who seems to have rediscovered his scoring touch but is struggling to protect the ball. Against OKC, he committed seven turnovers for the second time this season.

“I’ve got to take responsibility for that,” he said. “That’s two games I’ve had seven, and (against the Thunder) was just unforced. It’s not like they did anything.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

A new emphasis on the pick-and-pop has seemed to unlock Nikola Vucevic‘s outside shot, observes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. After shooting a career-low 29.4% from three-point range last season, the Bulls center is 7-of-13 from beyond the arc through three games.
Tyrese Haliburton admitted that he doesn’t feel like himself after the Pacers‘ loss to Philadelphia on Sunday, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. The All-Star guard is shooting 31.8% from the floor and 20% from three-point range, and he’s averaging just 3.7 assists per game after leading the NBA in that category last season. “We’re working through things,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We want to play faster with more aggression, more speed, urgency. So far, we’ve had some challenges and we have to continue to work through them.”
Appearing on the Knuckleheads podcast (video link), Bucks guard Damian Lillard said he and Giannis Antetokounmpo need to be able to communicate openly on the court to reach a championship level. “Me and him got to be able to hold each other accountable, and that don’t mean yelling at each other all the time,” Lillard explained. “It just means, like, I got to be able to say something to you, and you got to be able to say something to me at all times.”

Thunder Notes: Caruso, Bulls, Giddey, Holmgren

October 27th, 2024 at 10:59am CST by Rory Maher

Alex Caruso, whom the Thunder acquired for Josh Giddey in an offseason trade with the Bulls, had nothing but good things to say about his former organization ahead of Saturday’s matchup in Chicago, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan lavished Caruso with praise following Oklahoma City’s 19-point victory.

“He’s great; I love him,” Donovan said. “I obviously had the chance to coach against him for four years when I was at Florida and he was at [Texas] A&M, and I give him a lot of credit because the way he played in college was totally different than the way he’s played in the NBA. I think it just speaks to his IQ, his willingness to do whatever a team needs him to do to impact winning, impact his teammates. He’s the same guy every day. You feel fortunate when you get to be around a guy like that every day.

“And to his credit, he figured things out. ‘OK, these are the things I need to do,’ and a lot of times those things are not sexy, so to speak. That’s what makes him so unique; he’s willing to do things that a lot of times other players won’t, whether they’re incapable or unwilling.”

A former undrafted free agent who has earned All-Defensive nods each of the past two seasons, Caruso is in the final year of his contract, which will pay him $9.9MM in 2024/25.

Here’s more on the Thunder, who improved to 2-0 after Saturday’s win:

Giddey also had nothing but good things to say about the Thunder, per Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. “When you play your former team, you obviously circle it on your calendar,” Giddey said before Saturday’s game. “But you’ll never, ever hear me say a bad word about that organization. Top to bottom, unbelievable people. I’m looking forward to seeing them all. I love that organization.” The sixth overall pick of the 2021 draft, Giddey will be a restricted free agent next summer after he did not sign a rookie scale extension before the ’24/25 season began.
Big man Chet Holmgren had some insightful comments about the Thunder’s reunion with Giddey after the game, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. “I think you can get wrapped up in the business of what this is,” Holmgren said, “because it is a business, and it’s an extremely serious business. But you can’t lose sight of the relationships that you build with guys you know along the way. I don’t think anybody’s ever played with the same 15, 17 people their entire career. That’s how the league works. People and teams have to do what’s best for them business wise. And you can’t hold that against anybody. When you get to go out there and hoop against guys that you know and you really like, you enjoy it all the same.”
Holmgren added muscle to his lean frame in the offseason and has dominated the paint in OKC’s two victories, Lorenzi adds. The former second overall pick is averaging 23.0 points, 15.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.0 blocks in the early going after an excellent rookie season in which he averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks.

Central Notes: Giddey, Caruso, Trent, Middleton, Haliburton

October 26th, 2024 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls don’t have any buyer’s remorse about parting with Alex Caruso to acquire Josh Giddey from Oklahoma City, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago was criticized for not getting any draft compensation in the deal, but executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas explained that they valued Giddey highly enough to accept the trade without draft picks. Even though it’s early in Giddey’s Bulls tenure, his teammates seem to agree.

“I think the play-making is huge and a thing that is going to help us a lot,” Nikola Vucevic said. “He makes passes that not many people can see, and I think his size is something that people underestimate a little bit. For him it’s the same as it is for us, just getting used to playing next to each other. As a team we need to build that chemistry, but I think he’s a player that can help us a lot, especially with his vision. We want to play fast, and I think that’s his style as well.”

The Thunder were in Chicago tonight, creating a perfect opportunity to reflect on the deal. As one of the NBA’s best defensive guards, Caruso was a valuable part of the Bulls’ rotation for the past three seasons, so reporters asked coach Billy Donovan how he reacted when he learned about the trade.

“That’s hard, it’s hard, especially when you’ve been with him for three years and the relationship we built,” Donovan said. “The one thing for Alex in all this for me is I just hope that he’s really, really going to get compensated. He obviously got a great situation, but he’s also at the point where his age, some of the things he’s had to deal with health-wise too. He’s always played banged up and hurt. They came to me and thought this was best for a variety of reasons. I believe this is Alex’s last year of his contract, but they didn’t share with me the representation conversations.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Bucks were impressed by Gary Trent Jr.‘s defensive effort in his debut with the team, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Trent was used as the primary defender on Tyrese Maxey, who had to carry the offense for the short-handed Sixers. “It’s hard guarding one of the quickest players in the NBA, full court, always being in front, navigating screens, putting your body on the line, and that’s what he did tonight and he was incredible,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “(Maxey) took a lot of shots. He made a lot of shots. He missed a lot of shots, but I think (Trent) was there for every one of them and he did an incredible job. He’s probably tired.”
Three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton will miss the Bucks‘ game Sunday in Brooklyn as he continues his recovery from two offseason ankle surgeries, Nehm tweets. Middleton is considered day-to-day.
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton vowed to work on his shot after being held scoreless Friday in New York, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Haliburton is shooting 1-of-16 from beyond the arc in the team’s first two games. “I’m going to get in the gym and I’m gonna shoot,” he said. “We’re all gonna shoot and we’re going to be ready to go on Sunday (against Philadelphia.) … I’m gonna get a lot of shots (Saturday). I’m gonna get a lot of shots on Sunday and I’m gonna be ready to go on Sunday.”

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