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Bulls Release Bronson Koenig, Jaylen Johnson

October 13th, 2017 at 10:14pm CST by Austin Kent

The Bulls have waived Bronson Koenig and Jaylen Johnson, the team announced in a press release. After the announcement, the club’s roster sits at 18.

Koenig, who also had a brief tenure with the Bucks this offseason, was signed by the Bulls in late September. The sharp-shooting guard out of Wisconsin, however, will return to the free agent market as a potential affiliate player of the Chicago’s G League club.

Johnson served a slightly longer stretch with the Bulls, having signed on a week earlier in September. He went undrafted as an early entrant candidate out of Louisville last June.

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Poll: Chicago Bulls’ 2017/18 Win Total

October 13th, 2017 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls didn’t have a great 2016/17 season, but the team did manage to grind its way to a 41-41 record, and then took a 2-0 lead in the first round over the Celtics before Rajon Rondo suffered a season-ending injury and the tide turned.

That opening-round loss was the first in a series of events that turned the Bulls from an inconsistent .500 team to a club expected to lose more games than any other NBA team in 2017/18. Rondo is gone. Dwyane Wade is gone. And most notably, Jimmy Butler is gone.

The Bulls’ package for Butler – widely panned at the time of the trade – may work out for the team in the long run, but Lauri Markkanen is a rookie, Kris Dunn is a second-year point guard coming off a poor rookie season, and Zach LaVine will be sidelined to start the season as he continues to recover from an ACL injury. The trio is unlikely to have a significant impact in 2017/18.

There are a few other interesting pieces on the Chicago roster, including newly re-signed power forwards Nikola Mirotic and Cristiano Felicio. But a starting lineup that currently features Jerian Grant, Justin Holiday, Paul Zipser, Mirotic, and Robin Lopez won’t inspire much fear in the hearts of opponents.

Oddsmakers’ expectations for the Bulls are low, with offshore betting site Bovada putting the team’s over/under at just 22 wins. We’ll bump that up by a half-game for the purposes of our poll in order to avoid a whole number.

What do you think? Are the Bulls headed for their first 60-loss season since the post-Michael Jordan years in the early 2000s, or can the club get to 23 wins even after overhauling its roster this offseason? Vote below and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Previous over/under voting results:

Western Conference:

  1. Golden State Warriors: Over 67.5 (53.57%)
  2. Houston Rockets: Over 55.5 (65.57%)
  3. San Antonio Spurs: Over 54.5 (67.74%)
  4. Oklahoma City Thunder: Over 50.5 (71.77%)
  5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Over 48.5 (55.69%)
  6. Denver Nuggets: Under 45.5 (50.44%)
  7. Los Angeles Clippers: Over 43.5 (60.7%)
  8. Portland Trail Blazers: Over 42.5 (56.3%)
  9. Utah Jazz: Over 41.5 (55.94%)
  10. New Orleans Pelicans: Over 39.5 (65.26%)
  11. Memphis Grizzlies: Over 37.5 (53.43%)
  12. Dallas Mavericks: Under 35.5 (54.95%)
  13. Los Angeles Lakers: Over 33.5 (50.4%)
  14. Phoenix Suns: Over 28.5 (50.41%)
  15. Sacramento Kings: Over 27.5 (56.18%)

Eastern Conference:

  1. Boston Celtics: Over 55.5 (63.5%)
  2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Over 53.5 (68.82%)
  3. Toronto Raptors: Over 48.5 (64.21%)
  4. Washington Wizards: Over 47.5 (71.29%)
  5. Milwaukee Bucks: Over 47.5 (63.88%)
  6. Miami Heat: Over 43.5 (55.39%)
  7. Charlotte Hornets: Over 42.5 (51.07%)
  8. Philadelphia 76ers: Under 41.5 (53.37%)
  9. Detroit Pistons: Over 38.5 (51.95%)
  10. Orlando Magic: Under 33.5 (75.24%)
  11. Indiana Pacers: Under 31.5 (54.85%)
  12. New York Knicks: Under 30.5 (57.87%)
  13. Brooklyn Nets: Over 27.5 (66.33%)
  14. Atlanta Hawks: Over 25.5 (51.44%)
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Team Will Be Patient With Injuries; Expected Starting Lineup

October 12th, 2017 at 4:08pm CST by Austin Kent

The Bulls finally embraced a rebuild this offseason so there will be no shortage of attention paid to how they manage each and every asset from this point forward. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the club will be particularly patient with injuries to key young players considering that now more than ever the club can afford to lose ball games.

Between the lingering effects of Zach LaVine‘s 2016/17 ACL injury and preseason setbacks to both Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn, the new look Bulls are awfully banged up ahead of the 2017 season opener and may not even see the court together until as late as December.

“I think it’s just about being patient,” Dunn, acquired in the trade that sent Jimmy Butler from the Bulls to Minnesota, said. “Lauri, he was in Finland, so there was a lot of strain on his back from all the games they played [in the EuroBasket tournament]. Zach, with his injury, you try to take it slow with him because he’s a big piece to this team. And me, I’m just slowly trying to get back. So it’s just a slow thing.”

To that effect, Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg has said that his starting lineup when the season begins on Tuesday will consist of Jerian Grant, Justin Holiday, Nikola Mirotic, Paul Zipser and Robin Lopez.

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No Substantive Talks So Far For LaVine, Bulls

October 11th, 2017 at 5:03pm CST by Luke Adams
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Bulls Notes: Rose, Wade, Dunn, Lineup

October 10th, 2017 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

With Dwyane Wade poised to start at shooting guard this season for the Cavaliers, he and Derrick Rose will share the backcourt in Cleveland. The pairing is one that the Bulls badly wanted to create themselves back in 2010, and Rose said today that he made an effort to bring Wade – along with LeBron James and Chris Bosh – to Chicago. As Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com details, the former No. 1 overall pick recorded a video to recruit the trio.

“Oh yeah, yeah, I tried,” Rose said, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “People always said that I didn’t recruit. I tried to recruit. I put out the video, but, it wasn’t for me to say that. I felt like it was for the organization to say that.”

Rose, who received some criticism during his time with the Bulls for not making a stronger effort to recruit free agents, said today that he doesn’t know whether Wade, James, and Bosh ever watched the video he recorded.

“(The Bulls) didn’t say anything about it,” Rose said. “They sent it, I don’t know if they really actually looked at it or played the video, but, I made the video, but at the time it really wasn’t for me to say that.”

Here’s more from out of Chicago:

  • There are no hard feelings between the Bulls’ young players and Wade, despite an incident last season in which the veteran guard – along with Jimmy Butler – questioned his teammates’ desire to win. “We never had any conflict with Dwyane,” Nikola Mirotic said, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Just after that game, they had some tough declarations, Jimmy and D-Wade. But that was all. It’s a part of the game. They were hot. There was disappointment about the game. We all understand. But inside the locker room and in the practices, they were terrific with us. So there’s nothing to complain about.”
  • Bulls reporter Sean Highkin (Twitter link) hears that the Bulls expect point guard Kris Dunn to be sidelined for two to four weeks due to a dislocated finger.
  • While it hasn’t been set in stone yet, all signs are pointing toward the Bulls opening the season with Jerian Grant, Justin Holiday, Paul Zipser, Mirotic, and Robin Lopez in their starting lineup. K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune has the details.
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Paul Zipser Ready For Expanded Role

October 9th, 2017 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls swingman Paul Zipser projects as a starter during his second season in the league but he sees himself as more of a role player, as Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders details. Zipser, a second-round pick in 2016, will receive expanded playing time after the franchise moved All-Star Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves this summer. Zipser won’t provide All-Star level production but he’ll help the Bulls at both ends of the floor and deliver 12-15 points per game, according to Brigham. “I don’t need to be the leader of the team or the top scorer of the team or to have the ball in my hands the whole time,” he told Brigham. “That’s not who I am as a person, but I wanted a bigger role and more opportunity to do some leading along with some other guys on the team. And that’s what I think is going to happen.” If Zipser flops, his future with the Bulls beyond this season is uncertain. His $1,544,951 salary for 2018/19 is not guaranteed.

  • The Bulls would be wise to leave rookie big man Lauri Markkanen at power forward, Vince Goodwill of NBCSports.com opines. Markkanen looks overmatched at this stage trying to guard the likes of Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins, as he did in a preseason game on Sunday, Goodwill continues. However, since the Bulls have two rotation-worthy centers and power forwards, he’ll have to play both positions to get playing time this season, Goodwill notes.
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Five Looming Team Option Decisions To Watch

October 9th, 2017 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

NBA rookie contracts for first round picks feature a pair of team options in years three and four, and – unlike standard team options – the deadline for those decisions doesn’t fall on June 30. If a team wants to exercise its 2018/19 option for a player on a rookie contract, that team must do so this month, with an October 31 deadline looming.

Despite being forced to make decisions a year early, most teams simply pick up their club options on rookie-scale players. Even players who have underwhelming rookie seasons deserve an extra year or two to prove their value, and rookie-scale salaries are generally inexpensive, making them a worthwhile investment for NBA teams.

Still, not every former first round pick is worth keeping around for four full seasons on his rookie contract. With the help of our full list of 2018/19 rookie scale team options, here are five players who aren’t locks to have their options for next season exercised this month:

  1. Jarell Martin verticalJarell Martin, Grizzlies (fourth year, $2,416,222): A report at the start of training camp indicated that the Grizzlies had informed Martin he’d be waived, but had given him the opportunity to stick with the club for the preseason to help boost his stock. He has done just that in the early going, scoring 16 points in 22 minutes in his preseason debut, then nearly recording a double-double (eight points, nine rebounds) in just 13 minutes against the Sixers. Even if the Grizzlies remain prepared to move on from him, it will be interesting to see whether the team finds a taker on the trade market — a new team may be more willing to keep Martin around and perhaps pick up his 2018/19 option.
  2. Cameron Payne, Bulls (fourth year, $3,263,294): It seems unfathomable that the Bulls would decline this option just months after making Payne the centerpiece of a deadline-day deal that saw them give up Doug McDermott, Taj Gibson, and their 2018 second-round pick. However, the early reviews on Payne in Chicago were negative, and he continues to be plagued by foot issues. If the Bulls want to maximize their cap flexibility in 2018, they’ll have to think hard about letting Payne become an unrestricted free agent.
  3. Kevon Looney, Warriors (fourth year, $2,227,081): The Warriors will likely have the NBA’s highest tax bill this season, and figure to be well over the threshold next year too. That means Looney’s fairly modest $2.23MM salary will be worth exponentially more in tax payments. The former UCLA standout has only played 468 total minutes in his first two NBA seasons, so unless the Warriors plan on having him take on a much larger role in year three, it may make sense to turn down this option — the Dubs can get more bang for their buck by signing a minimum-salary veteran.
  4. Josh Huestis, Thunder (fourth year, $2,243,326): Even after being stashed in the G League for his first professional season, Huestis hasn’t proven ready to contribute during his first two years with the Thunder — he has played in just seven regular season NBA games. Oklahoma City doesn’t have a deep roster this season after completing a pair of two-for-one trades for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, so now would be the time for Huestis to step up. If the taxpaying Thunder aren’t confident he can do so, they should re-allocate their 2018/19 money elsewhere.
  5. Rashad Vaughn, Bucks (fourth year, $2,901,565): The Bucks’ roster is littered with promising young players expected to be part of the long-term core in Milwaukee, but Vaughn has remained on the outside of that group looking in. A former 17th overall pick, Vaughn has struggled mightily during his first two NBA seasons, with a shooting line of just .327/.303/.700 in 111 games. Still, the 6’6″ guard has looked good in the preseason, and is still just 21 years old, which will make the Bucks reluctant to give up on his potential quite yet.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Bulls Considered Milos Teodosic Deal; Justin Holiday, The Leader

October 5th, 2017 at 7:28pm CST by Austin Kent
  • Expect Justin Holiday to step into a leadership role with the rebuilding Bulls, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. “He’s done a good job of pulling the group together,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said. “If we’re having a stretch in practice where we’re struggling or we’re hitting adversity and we’re not handling it the right way, if we need a shot of energy, Justin is the guy that pulls the group together. And you have to have a guy like that.“
  • The Bulls were supposedly close to a deal with Milos Teodosic this summer but it was derailed when the club traded Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves, effectively shifting their focus to a full-on rebuild. The guard’s agent, Nick Lotsos, spoke of the free agency process to NBA Greece (article translated by Eurohoops).
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Valentine Hopeful For Chance To Start; Bulls Will Be Patient With Markkanen

October 1st, 2017 at 8:06pm CST by Austin Kent

After a disappointing first season in which he wasn’t heavily utilized as a playmaker, Denzel Valentine is eager to show the Bulls what he’s capable of. The famously versatile forward out of Michigan State told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that his role in 2016/17 was to mostly just be a spot-up shooter.

With so much turnover on the Bulls roster over the summer, Valentine could get his opportunity to flash the rest of his skills and potentially even earn a role as a starter with the young franchise, although head coach Fred Hoiberg has implied that his lineups will be determined through preseason.

The 23-year-old averaged 5.1 points per game last season but underwent surgery on his left ankle at the start of the summer. The second-year Bulls forward is still working his way back into shape.

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