The Bulls are shutting down big man Zach Collins for the remainder of the season, the team tweets.
Collins, who has been out with a right toe sprain, underwent further evaluation from training and medical professionals. They decided that Collins needed surgery to fix the problem.
Chicago coach Billy Donovan said earlier this month that Collins, who injured his toe on Dec. 27, might not return.
‘‘That could happen,” Donovan said. “As they put him two more weeks into the boot, I think how he comes out of that is going to tell a lot. He’s going to need a ramp-up period in order to run. . . . . The whole thing right now has been trying to prevent surgery.’
Prior to that injury, he missed the first six weeks of the season with a wrist injury. Collins wound up appearing in just 10 games this season, averaging 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds. He appeared in a total of 64 games with San Antonio and Chicago last season.
Collins will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and will likely need to take a big pay cut to stay in the league. He signed a two-year, $34.8MM deal with San Antonio prior to last season.
Additional, the Bulls announced that guard Jaden Ivey will be reevaluated in two weeks.
Ivey, who was traded by the Pistons earlier this month, is experiencing left knee soreness. Ivey has appeared in four games since the trade, including three starts. He’s averaging 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 28 minutes per game with Chicago.
Ivey suffered a fractured left leg midway through the 2024/25 season with Detroit and missed some time early this season due soreness in his right knee. He underwent surgery for that knee in mid-October.
Ivey will be a restricted free agent after the season, unless the Bulls renounce their rights to him, which would release the cap hold and make him unrestricted.
At least one team isnt tanking, great move for the Bulls
They’re like 1-11 in their last 12 games. So that one win convinced you they’re not tanking? The problem is the tanking has come 3 years too late. Some say better late than never. I say better never than late.