Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Proctor, Niang, Markovic, Grizzlies, Olbrich, Shulga

June 27th, 2025 at 12:35am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers intend to sign No. 49 overall pick Tyrese Proctor to a multiyear NBA contract, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). While most players in Proctor’s draft range will likely get two-way deals, the Cavs will benefit from a luxury tax perspective from having Proctor on their 15-man roster on the rookie minimum. They were also thrilled that they were able to draft him late in the second round.

“We had him almost as a first-round grade, so for him to fall to 49 was something we were very excited about,” general manager Mike Gansey said, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “… He came over to Duke a year earlier probably than he should have. We ended up seeing him at his pro day in California in May and I think he put on about 10 or 11 pounds, so he’s definitely worked on his body. Great kid and a worker.”

As for No. 58 pick Saliou Niang, the plan is for the Senegalese wing to spend next season in the EuroLeague with Virtus Bologna, says Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). It remains to be seen whether or not Niang will be on the Cavs’ Summer League team, Fedor writes in another Cleveland.com story.

“The last two seasons he’s gotten a lot better. The strides he has made have been pretty incredible,” Gansey said of Niang. “It’ll be a great opportunity for him to play at the highest level over there and we’ll be tracking him and keeping tabs on him.”

We have more on the contract situations for several second-round picks:

Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s draft, Bucks assistant general manager Milt Newton said the team isn’t sure yet whether No. 47 overall pick Bogoljub Markovic will be stashed overseas or whether he’ll be in Milwaukee next season, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Either way, Markovic will join the team for Summer League, according to Newton.
Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link) expects No. 48 pick Javon Small to end up on a two-way contract with the Grizzlies, but isn’t certain what the future holds for Jahmai Mashack. The No. 59 pick may be competing for a two-way deal during Summer League, Herrington adds.
As Givony first reported on ESPN’s draft broadcast, Australian forward/center Lachlan Olbrich, the 55th overall pick on Thursday, is expected to come stateside and sign a two-way contract with the Bulls, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network. Olbrich, 21, has been competing in Australia’s National Basketball League since 2021, so he already has a good deal of professional experience.
The third of three prospects drafted by the Celtics this week, No. 57 pick Max Shulga will be on a two-way contract with the team in 2025/26, reports Givony (Twitter link). Boston drafted Shulga with one of the picks the team acquired from Orlando earlier in the evening.

Bulls Issue Qualifying Offer To Josh Giddey

June 26th, 2025 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have tendered a qualifying offer to guard Josh Giddey, making him a restricted free agent, according to RealGM’s log of NBA transactions.

Giddey’s qualifying offer, which is determined by his draft slot, is a one-year contract offer worth roughly $11.14MM, but it essentially serves as a placeholder while he and the Bulls work out a new contract agreement — or while he pursues an offer sheet from a rival suitor.

As long as that qualifying offer is on the table, Chicago maintains the right of first refusal on Giddey, giving the club the opportunity to match any offer sheet he signs.

Giddey could accept the qualifying offer and play out next season on a one-year, $11.14MM deal if he chooses, which would set him up to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. But after a strong first season in Chicago, he appears to get a much more lucrative deal this summer, so that would likely be a last resort.

After being acquired from Oklahoma City in exchange for Alex Caruso last summer, Giddey got off to a slow start as a Bull, averaging 11.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game with a .439/.324/.750 shooting line through his first 40 outings.

However, the 22-year-old finished the season strong, taking on more offensive responsibilities following Chicago’s trade-deadline deal sending Zach LaVine to Sacramento. Giddey put up 18.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 7.8 APG on .490/.436/.799 shooting in his final 30 games.

Giddey, who was said to be seeking $30MM annually when he and the Bulls discussed a rookie scale extension last fall, is the No. 5 player on our list of this summer’s top 50 free agents.

In other minor restricted free agency news, Rockets big man N’Faly Dante has also received a qualifying offer, per RealGM. Dante’s QO is equivalent to another one-year, two-way deal.

Dante made just four appearances at the NBA level in his rookie season in 2024/25, but had a strong debut season in the G League, averaging 16.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, and 2.2 BPG in 31 games (29.1 MPG) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s NBAGL affiliate.

Lakers Trading 55th Pick, Cash To Bulls For 45th Pick

June 26th, 2025 at 11:26am CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers are trading the 55th pick of the 2025 draft and cash to the Bulls for tonight’s 45th selection, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).

As Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets, the Lakers will now be hard-capped at the second tax apron for the 2025/26 season because they are sending out cash in the deal.

Bulls general manager Marc Eversley said during a Wednesday night press conference that Chicago was open to moving the No. 45 pick, either to move out of the second round or to select a draft-and-stash prospect. In this case the Bulls moved back 10 spots and added cash in the process.

Los Angeles is clearly targeting a player it likes and thinks will be available at No. 45 but may not have been at No. 55. In the past, sending out cash to move up in the draft wasn’t a big deal, but changes in the new CBA mean the Lakers will be unable to surpass the second apron — projected at $207.8MM — for next season.

Although they’ll lose a little bit of roster flexibility as a result of the trade, the Lakers were unlikely to exceed the second apron in ’25/26 anyway, notes Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron (Twitter link).

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), the Hornets (either No. 33 or No. 34), Raptors (No. 39), Warriors (No. 41) and Thunder (No. 44) are also open to trading their second-round picks. ESPN identified Charlotte this morning as a team to monitor with one of its early second-rounders.

The Timberwolves (No. 31) are also fielding trade inquiries on the first pick of the second round, sources tell Fischer (Twitter link).

Trade Rumors: Lakers, Wiggins, Knicks, Celtics, Cavs, Bulls

June 26th, 2025 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

After previously reporting that the Lakers checked in with the Heat to inquire on Andrew Wiggins‘ price, Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints says the two teams have continued to explore the possibility of a Wiggins trade, though nothing is imminent.

As Irwin details, Rui Hachimura and his expiring contract would likely be the centerpiece of any deal, with another expiring contract (either Maxi Kleber‘s or Gabe Vincent‘s) necessary for salary-matching purposes. According to Irwin, league sources believe the Heat would also try to push for the inclusion of 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht.

A source tells Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald that the Heat are “very open” to moving Wiggins, who was part of last season’s Jimmy Butler trade with Golden State. Trading him for expiring salaries would create additional cap flexibility for Miami in the summer of 2026.

The Lakers are also scouring the trade market for help at the center position, Irwin continues, but he has heard from league sources that the front office believes the asking price for big men so far has been too high. As a result, it’s possible Los Angeles will look to use the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception to address the center position while trying to upgrade other areas of the roster on the trade market, Irwin explains.

Here are a few more trade-related rumors from around the NBA:

Mikal Bridges‘ and Mitchell Robinson‘s names have surfaced in Knicks trade talks this offseason, according to Frank Isola of YES Network (Twitter link). Bridges and Robinson will also both be eligible to sign contract extensions beginning in July, so I’d expect New York to explore both scenarios before determining how best to move forward.
Prior to Wednesday’s first round, the Celtics touched base with teams in the lottery, including the Spurs at No. 14, but didn’t end up finding a deal they liked, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv. While Jaylen Brown and Derrick White rumors have circulated this week, Sam Hauser is considered Boston’s top current trade candidate — Chris Mannix of SI.com said during an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast that there has been a “robust” market for Hauser (Twitter video link).
The Cavaliers explored the possibility of trading into the first round on Wednesday, with a few picks considered to be available, but didn’t find any opportunities they deemed worthwhile, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The team holds the 49th and 58th overall picks on Thurday.
During a press conference on Wednesday night, Bulls general manager Marc Eversley said Chicago spoke to a few teams about moving up before deciding to stand pat at No. 12 and select Noa Essengue. Everseley added that the Bulls may end up trading tonight’s No. 45 pick or using it on a draft-and-stash prospect (Twitter links via Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times).

Bulls Select Noa Essengue With 12th Overall Pick

June 25th, 2025 at 8:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls have used the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft to select Noa Essengue, the first prospect who has been playing overseas to come off the board.

Essengue, a 6’10” forward from France, signed with Ratiopharm Ulm in July 2023. He spent most of his first season with Ulm’s developmental team, but played a key role for the German club this past season, averaging 12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 23.7 minutes per game across 18 EuroCup appearances.

Essengue, who is the second-youngest player in the 2025 draft, was actually still playing for Ratiopharm Ulm as recently as Saturday, but left Germany to travel stateside for this week’s draft with Ulm holding a 2-1 lead over Bayern Munich in the best-of-five Basketball Bundesliga championship.

Because Essengue didn’t play college basketball in the United States, most American fans may not be familiar with his game. He’s mobile for his size and can guard a variety of players, but he still needs to develop his outside shot.

He’ll be a welcome addition for a Bulls team that’s loaded with guards, but low on players with size. He’ll likely need time to develop into an effective NBA player, and he may not be asked to contribute a lot right away. Chicago has other options to upgrade at power forward, especially if a rumored deal to acquire Jonathan Kuminga goes through.

Essengue reportedly had a “secret” private workout with Toronto after arriving from Germany, and there was speculation he could be taken as high as No. 9. Brooklyn and Phoenix also expressed interest, according to Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN.

Trade Rumors: Giannis, K. Murray, Ellis, P. Williams, Heat

June 24th, 2025 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t requested a trade and the Bucks are reportedly focused on improving their roster around him, but teams around the NBA continue to monitor the situation, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who said on First Take (YouTube link) that potential Antetokounmpo suitors are hoping he won’t be thrilled by the moves Milwaukee makes in the coming days and weeks.

“The Bucks have seven free agents. Seven. Three or four of which I would refer to as core players,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “The Bucks do not have salary cap space. The Bucks do not control their first-round draft pick for the next five years. They can’t trade it — they can’t trade the pick or the swap. The Bucks are in situation where they cannot count on Dame Lillard for next year. Maybe he can come back, but they cannot count on it. The Bucks are not interested right now in trading Giannis Antetokounmpo. And Giannis, to our knowledge, to my belief, has not asked for a trade. Those are the facts.

“We are also before the draft. We are before free agency. Will the Bucks do some things over the next two, three weeks to put themselves in a position where they can look like they could win the Eastern Conference, with those limitations? Maybe.”

Windhorst’s ESPN colleague Stephen A. Smith interjected at that point to say that the Bucks’ odds of reemerging as an Eastern Conference favorite seem “highly unlikely.”

“Right, so that’s why the league is waiting,” Windhorst continued. “People want to know why aren’t the Knicks going all-in for Kevin Durant? Why aren’t the Heat going all-in for Kevin Durant? Because, in part – there’s other reasons, but in part -they want to see what happens here with the Bucks. And we’re going to be watching closely.”

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Checking in on the Kings‘ roster situation and potential trade candidates ahead of the draft, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee reports that the team wants to add “length and athleticism” in its frontcourt and is hoping to add a power forward/center in order to slide Keegan Murray back to small forward. According to Anderson, Murray and Keon Ellis have been generating “strong” trade interest, but Sacramento isn’t enthusiastic about moving either player.
The Bulls‘ front office has been “more responsive” to trade conversations this offseason than in the past, a source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley suggests that forward Patrick Williams is viewed as a prime candidate for Chicago, though the former No. 4 overall pick – who hasn’t taken a major step forward in recent years – still has four seasons and $72MM left on his current contract, which will make it difficult to move him for positive value without a sweetener attached.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania provided a little more information on what the Heat would’ve have had to give up to get Durant from the Suns, supplementing prior reporting from The Miami Herald. In order to keep Kel’el Ware out of a Durant deal, Miami likely would have had to put Jaime Jaquez, Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, the No. 20 overall pick, and a pick swap in its package, according to Charania. The Heat’s final offer reportedly fell well short of that.

Fischer’s Latest: Porzingis, Spurs, Bulls, Suns, Thunder, Rockets

June 24th, 2025 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

After agreeing on Monday night to trade Jrue Holiday to Portland, Boston continues to explore potential Kristaps Porzingis trades, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), who says the Celtics are determined to get positive value for Porzingis and get younger in the process, like they did with the Holiday deal.

In addition to reiterating that the Suns have done due diligence on Porzingis, Fischer identifies the Spurs as one of the teams with some level of interest in the Celtics big man. Fischer cautions that San Antonio may be a long shot to acquire Porzingis, but it certainly seems as if the club will be in the market for frontcourt help, having also been linked to Guerschon Yabusele this week.

According to Fischer, there has been some chatter about the Spurs potentially eyeing a big man with their second lottery pick (No. 14), or even trying to move up from that spot to add more size.

The Bulls, meanwhile, aren’t pursuing Porzingis, but there have been some rival teams wondering if they might do so, Fischer writes, explaining that Chicago is being “increasingly mentioned in connection with various big men.” The Bulls are another team considered a possible trade-up candidate from the late lottery (No. 12) in the hopes of adding a frontcourt player, Fischer adds.

Here’s more from Fischer:

There’s an expectation that the Suns will be targeting a big man with their newly acquired No. 10 pick. Derik Queen and Danny Wolf are two of the potential targets Fischer has been told to keep an eye on at that spot.
The Thunder, who control the 15th and 24th overall picks, are being “frequently described” as a team with interest in moving up in the draft, according to Fischer. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported something similar during a TV appearance (Twitter video link). Oklahoma City probably isn’t in position to add two first-round picks to its 15-man roster, so a deal involving one or both of those selections seems like a real possibility.
Noting that that the Thunder talked a little to Houston about the No. 10 pick before the Rockets sent it to Phoenix, Fischer wonders if the Suns would have interest in swapping No. 10 for Nos. 15 and 24 in order to add multiple young prospects to their revamped roster.
Fischer and Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required) both report that the Rockets are exploring trade options to get back into the draft after sending their only 2025 picks (Nos. 10 and 59) to Phoenix. Sources tell Lerner that there are about five prospects, mostly projected first-round picks, that Houston is very high on, so the team could get more aggressive about trading back into the draft if one of those players starts to slide.

Bulls’ Jevon Carter Picking Up 2025/26 Option

June 23rd, 2025 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Bulls point guard Jevon Carter is exercising his player option for the 2025/26 season, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). The move will lock in a salary worth $6,809,524.

Carter, who signed a three-year, $19.5MM contract with the Bulls after enjoying a career year in Milwaukee in 2022/23, hasn’t played a major role during his first two seasons in Chicago, having had a hard time earning consistent minutes in a crowded backcourt. Josh Giddey, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Lonzo Ball, and Tre Jones were all ahead of him on the depth chart this past season.

Carter has averaged 4.7 points, 1.2 assists, and 0.9 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game in total 108 outings since becoming a Bull, with a subpar shooting line of .378/.330/.706. He posted averages of 8.0 PPG, 2.4 APG, and 2.5 RPG in 22.3 MPG on .423/.421/.816 shooting in his final season with the Bucks.

While Carter doesn’t project to have a clearer path to playing time in Chicago in 2025/26, there’s some uncertainty surrounding a few of the Bulls’ guards. Giddey will be a restricted free agent, Jones will be an unrestricted free agent, and White, Dosunmu, and Ball will also be on expiring or pseudo-expiring contracts. One or two of those players could emerge as trade candidates, though Carter figures to be on the trade block himself, since his $6.8MM cap hit could help grease the wheels on a deal.

As our tracker shows, Carter is the only Bull who had a player option decision to make this month.

Fischer’s Latest: Kuminga, Grimes, Grizzlies, Nets

June 21st, 2025 at 5:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls expressed interest in Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga during past trade talks and could be a candidate for a sign-and-trade deal to land the restricted free agent, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). Sources tell Stein that Chicago inquired about Kuminga during discussions that involved Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.

Fischer states that re-signing with the Warriors appears to be the most likely outcome for Kuminga, but cautions that it’s hard to predict his potential market until the Suns decide where they’re trading Kevin Durant. Fischer hears that Kuminga could be among several players the Heat plan to target if they don’t land Durant, echoing a report earlier this week from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who mentioned Chicago and Miami as potential sign-and-trade destinations for Kuminga.

Fischer adds that Kuminga will probably need a sign-and-trade to change teams because the Nets, the only current club with significant cap space, don’t appear to be interested, nor do the Pistons, who could theoretically create enough room to make a competitive offer, or the Hawks, who have a $25MM trade exception from the deal that sent Dejounte Murray to New Orleans last summer.

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. will meet with the media on Monday, and Fischer expects Kuminga’s future to be a prominent topic.

Fischer shares more inside information from around the NBA:

“Numbers-crunchers” who talked to Fischer expect Sixers free agent guard Quentin Grimes to get offers in excess of the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Grimes turned into a potent scoring threat after being acquired from Dallas in February, averaging a career-high 21.9 PPG in 28 games. The financial experts that Fischer consulted expect Philadelphia to be able to afford to keep Grimes, although the team’s financial situation will be affected by what Kelly Oubre, Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond do with their player options.
After acquiring the No. 16 pick from Orlando in last weekend’s Desmond Bane trade, the Grizzlies may opt to move up or down by draft night, sources tell Fischer. He hears that the team’s priority with any moves will be to create enough financial flexibility to renegotiate and extend Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s contract and to re-sign free agent forward Santi Aldama.
With four first-round picks and a ton of cap space, the Nets have a chance to be the league’s most active team on draft night. Fischer suggests that one option will be to facilitate deals by taking on unwanted contracts and then try to flip those players for more assets ahead of next season’s trade deadline.

Latest From Fischer, Stein: KD, Suns, Ware, Raptors, Knicks, Donovan

June 21st, 2025 at 10:37am CST by Rory Maher

The Suns continue to project confidence that a trade involving star forward Kevin Durant will be agreed to before June 25, the first night of the 2025 NBA draft, sources tell Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

According to the authors, Phoenix’s front office — led by new general manager Brian Gregory — is “quietly hopeful” it will be able to land a first-round pick in a potential Durant deal to use next Wednesday. The team currently controls one late first-rounder (No. 29 overall) and one late second-rounder (No. 52).

Fischer and Stein point to the first-round selections controlled by the Raptors (No. 9), Rockets (No. 10), Timberwolves (No. 17) and Heat (No. 20) as examples of some of the picks the Suns have tried to acquire in Durant trade talks. But they also haven’t been thrilled with the offers they’ve received to this point, which is why a deal has yet to come together.

Here’s more from The Stein Line duo:

The Heat have been “firmly against” including big man Kel’el Ware in their offers to the Suns for Durant, sources tell Fischer and Stein. The 15th pick of last year’s draft, Ware was named to the All-Rookie Second Team in 2024/25 after a solid debut season. Phoenix is believed to be prioritizing draft capital from Miami with Ware evidently off-limits.
Fischer and Stein confirm that the Raptors also are unwilling to part with starting center Jakob Poeltl to acquire Durant. Assuming he isn’t moved, league sources tell The Stein Line that Toronto and the Austrian big man have mutual interest in a contract extension “in the near future.”
Toronto continues to be active in trade talks, particularly when it comes to the draft. According to Fischer and Stein, the Raptors have expressed an openness to moving down from No. 9, but have also discussed the possibility of trying to add a second lottery pick. No matter which pick(s) they ultimately control, rival teams believe the Raptors are focused on drafting a center.
The Knicks are not expected to hire a head coach until after next week’s draft, which will take place over two days (the second round is on Thursday), one person familiar with the matter told The Stein Line. Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins interviewed for the job this week and both of the former head coaches are believed to have “levels of support” in New York. According to Fischer and Stein, Brown is said to be close with executive William Wesley, while Jenkins reportedly impressed the team in his interview.
Although New York was denied permission to interview Billy Donovan, the Bulls claim their extension talks with their head coach preceded that request, per Fischer and Stein. “They love him,” one source familiar with management’s thinking said of Chicago’s fondness for Donovan. Stein first reported that the Bulls and Donovan were finalizing an extension.
In case you missed it, Fischer and Stein also reported that multiple teams have shown interest in Suns wing Cody Martin as part of the Durant trade talks.