Chicago Bulls Rumors

Chicago Bulls trade, free agent, and draft rumors, updated constantly by the NBA experts at HoopsRumors.com.

Derrick Rose Tears Meniscus

February 26 at 3:54pm CST By Eddie Scarito

THURSDAY, 3:54pm: Rose is scheduled to undergo surgery on Friday, the team announced in a press release. A timetable for Rose’s return to action will be determined after the procedure is completed. The oft-injured point guard is having his meniscus removed rather than repaired, which should allow for a shorter rehab period.

10:35pm: The belief is that this tear isn’t as extensive as the one that Rose suffered back in November of 2013 on the same knee, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tweets.

TUESDAY, 9:50pm: Derrick Rose has suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee and will require surgery, the Bulls have announced in a press release. The injury was confirmed by an MRI administered earlier today. This is the same knee that Rose suffered a tear in last season, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). The point guard will require surgery after which a timeline for Rose’s return will be announced by the team.

This is now the third major knee injury that Rose has suffered during his NBA career. He tore the ACL in his left knee during the first game of the 2011/12 playoffs, and required surgery to repair the damage. Rose would go on to miss the entire 2012/13 campaign as he worked his way back from the injury. The 26-year-old made his return to the court during the 2013/14 season, but surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee limited Rose to just 10 appearances that season. All told, Rose has only appeared in a total of 95 contests since the beginning of the 2011/12 campaign.

In 46 appearances this season Rose has averaged 18.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 31.0 minutes per game. Rose’s career numbers through 335 appearances are 20.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 6.5 APG. His career slash line is .453/.306/.815.

Bulls Have Exploratory Talks With Nate Robinson

February 26 at 8:54am CST By Chuck Myron

The Bulls have engaged in exploratory discussions with Nate Robinson, who’s interested in returning to Chicago, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The team is plotting its course in reaction to Derrick Rose‘s latest injury with some level of hope that Rose will play again this season, Charania adds. Coach Tom Thibodeau cautioned that he likes the team’s roster as constituted and that anyone the Bulls would sign into their open roster spot would be primarily for insurance purposes, as Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com and K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune relay (Twitter links).

Robinson, who started 23 regular season games and eight playoff contests for an injured Rose in 2012/13, has been a free agent since shortly after negotiating his release from the Celtics in a buyout deal last month, soon after Boston acquired him from Denver via trade. The Clippers and Cavs appeared to have interest in him soon after he came available, but the Clips made him a secondary priority and the Cavs reportedly decided not to pursue him after making a preliminary inquiry. There were conflicting reports regarding interest from the Wizards and Heat.

It’s the second straight year that Rose has turned up with a torn meniscus in his right knee, but there’s growing belief that it’s not as serious this time around, Johnson tweets. Johnson wrote earlier this week that Rose was told after his injury last year that it was possible another tear would occur and that the typical treatment for a second tear would entail a shorter rehab of three to six weeks, but Johnson’s latest story has that timetable at three to eight weeks. The postseason is seven weeks away.

The Bulls would be limited to handing out the minimum salary to Robinson, an Aaron Goodwin client. As long as he remains a free agent, he’d be eligible to take part in the playoffs for Chicago even if he signed on the final day of the regular season.

Eastern Notes: Knight, Thibodeau, Antic

February 25 at 6:27pm CST By Dana Gauruder

Brandon Knight‘s price tag as a restricted free agent was a good reason for the Bucks to trade him to the Suns, Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders believes. Knight will likely receive offer sheets in the range of $13MM-$15.9MM annually this summer after he was unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension with the club last fall, Duncan adds. Michael Carter-Williams, who was acquired from Philadelphia to take Knight’s spot, is on a rookie contract through the 2016/17 season and has more upside, Duncan opines.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

  • The acquisition of Carter-Williams could hurt the Bucks in the short run but improves their flexibility this summer, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes. The move gives them a young core of Carter-Williams, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, and they have approximately $15MM in salary cap space to make another major move, Gardiner adds.
  • Four-year NBA veteran Daniel Orton has turned down offers from overseas after returning from his stint in the Philippines and is holding out for an NBA deal, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Orton was with the Wizards during preseason.
  • Derrick Rose‘s latest knee injury could lead to Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau’s departure, according to Nancy Armour of USA Today. Thibodeau’s relationship with Bulls management was already strained, Armour reveals, and Rose is one of his most fervent supporters. Losing Rose for perhaps the rest of the season could lead to Thibodeau, who has two years left on his contract, and the team cutting ties, Armour opines.
  • The Hawks will try to re-sign  Pero Antic when he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Antic has struggled with his shooting in a reserve role this season, averaging 28.7% on three-point attempts, but that hasn’t changed the Hawks’ thinking, Vivlamore adds.
  • Magic COO Alex Martins says the team will not interview head coaching candidates until after season, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. James Borrego is the interim coach for the remainder of the season after Jacque Vaughn was fired earlier this month.
  • Forest City Enterprises, the Ratner parent company,  confirms it’s looking to sell its shares in Nets and Barclays Center, NetsDaily tweets. Bruce Ratner is a minority owner of the Nets after selling 80% of the club to Mikhail Prokhorov in 2010.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Fallout From Derrick Rose’s Latest Injury

February 25 at 8:58am CST By Chuck Myron

Derrick Rose has a torn meniscus in his right knee for the second season in a row, and while there’s no indication yet of how much time he’ll miss, Chicago’s title hopes seemingly hang in the balance. Here’s the latest on the Bulls as they wait to hear the fate of their point guard:

  • The Bulls are likely to sign another guard into their open roster spot, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Free agent and former Bull Nate Robinson would like to rejoin the team, as USA Today’s Sam Amick hears (Twitter link), but it’s unclear if Chicago reciprocates that interest.
  • Rose was informed upon having season-ending surgery to repair his torn meniscus in 2013 that another tear was a possibility but typical treatment would entail a shorter rehab period of three to six weeks, a source said to Johnson for the same story. Still, it’s too soon to tell whether the injury will be season-ending, two sources close to Rose told Chris Mannix of SI.com.
  • The point guard is “the definition of untradeable,” but with a pivotal summer ahead, it might be time for the Bulls to reconsider how they regard the former MVP, Mannix opines in the same piece. Rose is due more than $20.093MM next season and in excess of $21.323MM in 2016/17, the last year of his deal.

Cavs Sign Kendrick Perkins

February 24 at 3:40pm CST By Eddie Scarito

TUESDAY, 3:40pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

9:49pm: Perkins will sign with the Cavaliers Tuesday before the team plays in Detroit, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

MONDAY, 4:14pm: Perkins has cleared waivers as expected, a source tells Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link), clearing the way for him to sign with the Cavs.

SATURDAY, 3:30pm: Kendrick Perkins has finalized a buyout arrangement with the Jazz and intends to sign with the Cavaliers if and when he clears waivers, Royce Young of ESPN.com reports. Perkins was dealt to the Jazz on Thursday as part of a three-way trade with the Pistons and Thunder that sent Reggie Jackson to Detroit and Enes Kanter to Oklahoma City. The buyout has not been officially announced by the player or the Jazz as of yet, though Perkins’ agent Arn Tellem has informed Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that a buyout had been agreed upon.

The veteran big man was recruited by LeBron James to select Cleveland as his next NBA destination, Young notes. Perkins also drew heavy interest from the Bulls, Clippers, Pelicans, and Spurs, the ESPN scribe adds. The combination of a chance to contend for an NBA title along with an opportunity for playing time pushed Perkins to choose Cleveland over his other suitors, Young relays. The Cavs currently have 14 players on their roster, so no additional move would be required to sign Perkins. No contract details for Perkins have been released, but the Cavs do have a disabled player exception worth $4,852,273 for Anderson Varejao that they could use to sign Perkins for more than the minimum.

Perkins, 30, is making $9.654MM this season and would have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. In 51 appearances this season, all with the Thunder, Perkins is averaging 4.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 19.2 minutes per contest.

Jazz, Kendrick Perkins Agree To Buyout Deal

February 21 at 3:53pm CST By Chuck Myron

3:53pm: Perkins has officially been waived, the Jazz announced.

3:27pm: A buyout arrangement has been reached, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Perkins intends to sign with the Cavaliers if he clears waivers, which he is expected to do, Wojnarowski adds.

1:48pm: Perkins has narrowed his choices to the Cavs and the Clippers, and the big man is expected to make his decision on Sunday, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (Twitter link).

10:51am: The Clippers are not out of the running for Perkins, but are considered long shots to sign him, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports (Twitter link).

SATURDAY, 10:28am: The Cavaliers have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Perkins if he is indeed waived by Utah, Wojnarowski reports. The Bulls, Rockets, and Hawks are also in the mix for the big man, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal tweets.

FRIDAY, 9:24am: Perkins is interested in playing for the Mavs, Wojnarowski writes, but the team doesn’t share that interest, as Cuban said (below). Conflict in the past with Joakim Noah wouldn’t keep Perkins from joining the Bulls, a source tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

11:25pm: Mark Cuban said that Dallas is set in its frontcourt, and that the Mavs would not be interested in Perkins if he is waived, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman tweets.

10:18pm: The Bulls and the Cavs are the frontrunners to sign Perkins when and if he clears waivers, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports (Twitter link).

6:08pm: The Mavericks have also expressed interest in Perkins, should he be waived, Wojnarowski tweets.

THURSDAY, 3:55pm: The Jazz and Kendrick Perkins are headed for a buyout, reports Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Utah agreed to take on his expiring contract, worth more than $9.654MM, as part of a three-way deal with the Pistons and Thunder. The Cavs and Clippers are teams to watch should Perkins indeed hit free agency in the coming days, Young says, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports calls those teams strong contenders to sign him (on Twitter). The Bulls will be very much in the mix for Perkins, too, Wojnarowski also tweets.

The 30-year-old Perkins is making $9.654MM this season on an expiring contract, and it’s not immediately clear how much he would give up in a buyout. He was much-maligned throughout his tenure in Oklahoma City after having been hailed as key to the Celtics’ 2008 championship and subsequent run to the Finals in 2010. He had a PER of 15.0 in 2009/10, but he never had a double-digit PER for the Thunder after a trade sent him there in the middle of the 2010/11 season.

His name was part of a proposal that would have sent him to the Nets for Brook Lopez, but that trade didn’t pan out. In any case, he’s an odd fit for Utah, a team focused on the future, so a quick parting of ways makes sense. The Jazz will have to waive him no later than March 1st for him to be eligible to play for another team in the postseason.

Central Notes: James, Perkins, Marshall

February 21 at 10:26am CST By Will Joseph

LeBron James believes the Cavaliers, who were silent as the trade passed, can win a championship with their current roster, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. James’ stance presents a different view than the one he had previously offered in his summer essay announcing his return to Cleveland and when speaking to reporters during the holidays, Lloyd notes. The Cavs, who entered the All-Star break having won 14 of their last 16 games, have remade their roster since James last made those statements, having acquired J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov. “Obviously health is a huge thing. Clicking at the right time,” James said. “The team that’s clicking at the right time, is healthy at the right time, can make a huge push. I believe we can make a push to win one. Does it guarantee that? Of course not, we still gotta go out and play. But this roster can challenge any team out there.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

  • The Bulls, who did not make a deal at the trade deadline and have a vacant roster spot, will monitor the buyout market between now and March 1st, which is the deadline for free agent signees to be eligible for the playoffs, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune notes. The Bulls appear to be interested in center Kendrick Perkins, who was dealt on Thursday from the Thunder to the Jazz, Johnson writes. Utah is  reportedly considering a buyout arrangement with the veteran big man. Johnson also added that Chicago would be interested in guard Gary Neal, if his contract were to be bought out by the Timberwolves.
  • Any roster addition made for the stretch run for the Bulls will be a veteran insurance player who is comfortable sitting on the bench, Jon Greenberg of ESPNChicago.com notes.
  • The Bucks were reluctant to part with Kendall Marshall, who was traded to the Suns along with Brandon Knight on Thursday, but Milwaukee wanted to free up a roster spot, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets.

Latest On Kevin Martin

February 18 at 9:24pm CST By Chuck Myron

9:24pm: Martin is happy in Minnesota, and out of the teams reported to be eyeing him, Martin would only be interested in playing for Dallas, Amick tweets.

8:29pm: The Rockets and Wizards are also interested in Martin, Sam Amick of USA Today reports (Twitter links). It’s also highly unlikely that the Wolves agree to a buyout with Martin if he remains on the roster past the trade deadline, Amick adds. The Mavs are also a team that likes Martin, Amick confirms.

3:50pm: Teams are still inquiring about Martin, but the feeling is growing that he will remain with the Wolves past the deadline, Chris Mannix of SI.com reports (Twitter link).

2:32pm: The Bulls and Kings among teams with interest in Kevin Martin, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his chat with readers, though he adds that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Timberwolves hang on to him. Ford also lists the Wizards as a team eyeing Martin, though there were conflicting reports about their level of interest earlier this month. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports heard that Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders has little interest in parting with Martin, though Ken Berger of CBSSports.com seemingly refuted that and put Martin on a list of players that teams are attempting to trade. Martin would be headed for a buyout if a trade doesn’t happen, according to Berger, but rival executives are surprised at the notion that Minnesota would consider a buyout, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.

The Mavericks are another team that’s been linked to Martin, though it’s unclear if they truly have interest in trading for him. He’s making almost $6.793MM this season and $7.085MM next year, with a player option worth almost $7.738MM for 2016/17, so his contract figures to dissuade teams on the fence about pursuing before the deadline. The same clubs would figure to have greater interest in Martin should he buy his way off the Wolves and become available more cheaply, though that’s just my speculation.

Saunders said after making a pair of trades last week that he didn’t expect to be active again in advance of the deadline. The Wolves haven’t given the impression that they want to part with Martin, according to John Krawczynski of The Associated Press. The 32-year-old shooting guard is Minnesota’s leading scorer this season at 20.2 points per game.

Kyler’s Latest: Dragic, Deng, Garnett, Lawson

February 17 at 10:09am CST By Chuck Myron

The Knicks have engaged the Suns in talks as they keep an eye on Goran Dragic, just as the Lakers have done, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece. The Knicks and Lakers would be on board with trading for a player whom they could otherwise just wait to sign outright in free agency this summer, like Dragic, but it doesn’t seem that either would give up major assets in any such swap. Kyler has plenty more new information with the trade deadline just two days off, and we’ll hit the highlights here:

  • Miami is open to trading Luol Deng, according to Kyler, who suggests that the veteran small forward isn’t garnering the sort of interest it would take for him to be traded. Kyler also lists Norris Cole, Chris Andersen and Danny Granger as players the Heat are making available, which jibes with earlier reports on all three.
  • Golden State is “more than” interested in Kevin Garnett, Kyler hears, which advances a suggestion from Grantland’s Zach Lowe on Monday that the Warriors would like to try to convince Garnett to waive his no-trade clause. The 20th-year veteran reportedly has no plans to seek a buyout.
  • The Bucks are “being linked” to Ty Lawson, Kyler writes, though it’s unclear just what sort of interest is there.
  • The Bulls would think about trading Tony Snell for a veteran shooting guard who fits what they’re looking for, Kyler writes. Still, while Chicago is speaking generally about doing some deals before the deadline, the team doesn’t appear to be willing to give up what it would take, according to Kyler.
  • The Suns are making Gerald Green available, according to Kyler.
  • Charlotte has interest in Wilson Chandler, but the Hornets would prefer to trade for Arron Afflalo, as Kyler hears. That’s the reverse of the Blazers‘ apparent preference. The Bulls are “sniffing at” both players, too, Kyler adds, nonetheless casting doubt once more on whether Chicago is willing to give up the assets necessary to swing a deal.
  • Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas have come up in trade rumors, but it’s more likely that the Raptors deal someone on an expiring contract, according to Kyler, naming Landry Fields, Tyler Hansbrough and Amir Johnson as examples.
  • Sources close to the Pacers tell Kyler that David West is likely to opt in with the Pacers for next season, when his contract calls for him to make $12.6MM.
  • There is “a sense” that the Magic are making Ben Gordon and Luke Ridnour available, Kyler says.

And-Ones: Blazers, Sanders, Trade Rumors, Bulls

February 16 at 10:34pm CST By Charlie Adams

Jermaine O’Neal appeared poised to join the Mavs, but instead it’ll be another big man jumping aboard Dallas’ roster mid-season, as Amar’e Stoudemire has reportedly committed to inking a deal with Rick Carlise and company. While the seven-time All-Star hooking up with the Mavs is the biggest scoop of the night, we’ve got plenty more from around the league to round up below:

  • The Blazers “will not hesitate” to send a first-round pick, Thomas Robinson, and “another player” to the Nuggets in exchange for Wilson Chandler, reports Jabari Young of CSNNW.com. Portland prefers Chandler to Arron Afflalo, according to Young, but the team would be interested in adding Afflalo if Denver’s asking price on him is significantly lower than that of Chandler’s.
  • If Larry Sanders and the Bucks reach a deal on a buyout, the Cavs will be among the teams with interest in signing the 26-year-old big man, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link). Sanders hasn’t suited up for Milwaukee since December 23rd.
  • There’s “plenty of interest” around the league in Brendan Haywood‘s uniquely structured contract, Amico reports in the same tweet.
  • The Bulls are interested in adding a shooter to their roster, but they won’t move any of their big men or sacrifice a future first-rounder to do so, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Such reluctance likely means they won’t be able to land the sharpshooting Afflalo, whom the team is reportedly high on, and Johnson indicates Chicago will look to the list of players who reach buyout deals as potential targets.
  • Andre Dawkins‘ second 10-day contract with the Celtics expired last week, but Boston doesn’t intend to re-sign him for the remainder of the season, reveals Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
  • While no signing is imminent, the Bulls and Ronnie Brewer have kept in close contact this season, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Chicago has one open roster spot.
  • The Wizards hope to acquire a speedy point guard to back up John Wall and a shooter to help space the floor, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports passes along in his weekly power rankings.
  • Adam Silver doesn’t believe that the draft lottery is a broken system, but he confessed that fans’ generally negative perception of it has him contemplating a new way to determine the draft order, observes Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times.