Bulls Notes: Ivey, Giddey, Jones, Buzelis, Deadline Moves
Guard Jaden Ivey, a trade deadline acquisition, received a DNP-CD on Thursday amid a crowded Bulls backcourt. The former fifth overall pick, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, gave some eyebrow-raising quotes after the game about his lack of explosiveness this season, which he said was a result of ongoing knee soreness.
Billy Donovan didn’t coach Thursday’s loss to Toronto due to the death of his father, but he was back at practice on Friday and discussed the Ivey situation, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter video link). While Ivey did not participate in Friday’s practice because his knee was being evaluated, Donovan said he supported Wes Unseld Jr.‘s decision not to play the 24-year-old.
“To me, I don’t think he’s played at the level that he’s capable of playing at or has played at,” Donovan said of Ivey. “ … I don’t how much (knee soreness) is affecting him. He was definitely available to play.”
Ivey has been listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Detroit — his former team — due to patellofemoral pain syndrome in his left knee, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network. That injury, which is also known as runner’s knee, is the same issue which continues to sideline Stephen Curry.
We have more from Chicago:
- Point guards Josh Giddey and Tre Jones returned to action on Thursday after they missed time due to left hamstring strains. Both players came away from the game unscathed and think they’ll be available to play both ends of this weekend’s back-to-back, per Johnson (Twitter links).
- After a major roster overhaul at the deadline, second-year forward Matas Buzelis is one of the most tenured players on the team. In a Q&A with Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype, Buzelis said he’s working to become a leader in Chicago. “I talked to Billy about it, how I need to be more vocal as a player and I need to speak to guys,” Buzelis said. “You know, guys don’t know sets, guys don’t know the defense and I have to be more vocal every time I step on the court to try to help my team win. And you know, I feel like I have, I wouldn’t say pressure, but I can’t find the word right now, I have to talk to everybody more. I have to be communicating on defense for us and also put on an example in the gym of, you know, how I work. And that’s all it takes for some guys, just to see how guys work and they can put it into their game.”
- Lorenzi of The Athletic lists three burning questions the Bulls will face after making seven deals prior to the deadline, including how the team will juggle the backcourt rotation when all six guards on standard contracts are healthy. Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron, meanwhile, tries to make sense of the team’s deadline moves, some of which he views positively (adding two second-round picks for taking on Dario Saric‘s contract), and some he does not (waiting too long to trade Coby White).
Ivey Gets DNP-CD With Bulls’ Crowded Backcourt Healthy
With Josh Giddey and Tre Jones back in action on Thursday following injury absences, Jaden Ivey was the odd man out in a crowded Bulls backcourt. Ivey, who started three of four games and averaged 28.8 minutes per night for Chicago prior to the All-Star break, didn’t play at all in a home loss to Toronto and said after the game that he thought it was the first DNP-CD of his career, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic.
Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr., acting as head coach with Billy Donovan away from the team following the death of his father, explained that it was “strictly a basketball decision” necessitated by having a fully healthy backcourt, as well as a desire to have Giddey and Jones play regular roles in their first game back.
“I talked to several guys (Thursday) morning, and then I addressed the team about it, and it’s just a byproduct of where we are in our composition,” Unseld told reporters.
Giddey and Jones, who were on minutes restrictions, played 21 and 22 minutes respectively, while recent trade acquisition Anfernee Simons logged 31. Collin Sexton and Rob Dillingham, the team’s other newly added guards, played 15 and 10 minutes off the bench.
As Lorenzi writes, the usage of the guards seemed to be at odds with the Bulls’ actions earlier this month at a busy trade deadline. With its seven deadline deals, Chicago appeared prepared to pivot toward its younger players, but Simons and Sexton – veterans on expiring contracts – are ahead of Ivey, a restricted-free-agent-to-be, and second-year guard Dillingham on the depth chart for now.
Asked after the game about his DNP-CD, Ivey offered little clarity, according to Lorenzi, who says the former Piston repeatedly referenced his faith and declared that he doesn’t “really trust the NBA setting.”
“When moves are made behind the scenes, trades and stuff,” Ivey replied when asked what he meant. “I don’t trust that part of (it). I mean, you can’t trust it, because it’s not in your hands. So it’s not in my hands to make moves, or trade myself.”
Ivey later said he was told the decision to sit him on Thursday was the result of “a series of things,” including ongoing knee soreness that he referred to as something he’s been dealing with “for years.” The fourth-year guard underwent surgery on his right knee in October that delayed his season debut, but he hasn’t been listed on the injury report recently and said that soreness isn’t something that will “keep me from doing my job.”
Still, there have been some questions this season about whether Ivey is at 100% after returning from a broken left leg that ended his 2024/25 season, as well as that right knee surgery. He played a reduced role in Detroit (16.8 MPG) prior to the trade and didn’t look like his old explosive self. Asked if there are still health-related steps to take before he regains his former athleticism, Ivey offered an eyebrow-raising response, Lorenzi notes.
“I’m sure people can call it out — I’m not the same player I used to be,” he said. “(The knee soreness is) why. I’m not the J.I. I used to be. The old J.I. is dead. I’m alive in Christ no matter what the basketball setting is.”
As Lorenzi observes, it’s possible the Bulls will adjust their rotation going forward and Ivey’s DNP-CD ends up being a one-off that’s quickly forgotten. But based on Thursday’s usage, it doesn’t appear at this point that developing Ivey and Dillingham is a top priority for the team.
Injury Notes: Giddey, Zubac, Toppin, Porzingis, Young
Bulls point guard Josh Giddey has been out since January 28 with a left hamstring strain, but he went through a full practice on Wednesday and expects to make his return on Thursday vs. Toronto, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network.
It will be Giddey’s first game since Chicago overhauled its backcourt by trading Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Dalen Terry and waiving Jevon Carter while bringing in Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Jaden Ivey, and Rob Dillingham.
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Pacers center Ivica Zubac was a limited participant in Tuesday’s practice and both he and forward Obi Toppin (foot surgery) are making “steady” progress in their injury recoveries, head coach Rick Carlisle said on Tuesday. However, neither player is all that close to seeing the floor. As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes, Carlisle said “it’s gonna be a while” before either Zubac or Toppin returns.
- Kristaps Porzingis practiced with the Warriors on Tuesday and “looked good,” according to head coach Steve Kerr, who said on decision on the big man’s availability for Thursday’s matchup with Boston will be made after Wednesday’s scrimmage (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of The Athletic).
- Point guard Trae Young, who has yet to make his Wizards debut after being traded to Washington over a month ago, didn’t practice on Wednesday and still hasn’t been cleared for contact, per head coach Brian Keefe (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Athletic). Young has been listed on the injury report as recovering from a right MCL sprain and a quad contusion.
Central Notes: Cavs, Giannis, Thomas, Giddey, Jones
It was a disappointing first half of the season in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers opened the year with a 24-20 record after going 64-18 a year ago. However, the team has won nine of its past 10 games and appears to be rejuvenated by a trade deadline shakeup that saw James Harden, Dennis Schröder, and Keon Ellis added to the roster, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).
“There’s definitely a different energy,” center Jarrett Allen said on Monday after the Cavs eked out a 119-117 win in Denver. “Everybody feels a new energy and another belief that we can go even farther than we did last year. The belief is around the team. The last few games we have proven that we can be an amazing team down the stretch and during the game. There’s just a whole new belief and confidence. When you see change, you believe things are going to be different and things are going to go in a new direction.”
Schröder (+22 in 17 minutes) and Ellis (+20 in 17 minutes) played key roles off the bench against their former team in Sacramento on Saturday as the Cavs won for the first time with their new-look roster. On Monday, Harden came up big against the Nuggets, with 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks.
Donovan Mitchell, meanwhile, scored 35 points against the Kings and 32 in Denver, prompting head coach Kenny Atkinson to tell reporters that Harden’s arrival has given Mitchell “a different energy.” Mitchell didn’t dispute the idea that bringing in the 36-year-old star has created a greater sense of urgency for the Cavs.
“I think you understand what’s at stake,” Mitchell told Fedor. “You see what’s here. There’s a window. This is the window. This is the time. In a sense, the team is going all in. It’s time to go. When you make that move, understanding James’ age and where he’s at in his career, the time is now. There is no ‘runway’ in a sense with a group like that. You sacrifice even more. You believe even more. You go out there and feel it even more.
“I love the pressure of it. I love the expectation of it. I love the questions that have come from it. I love it. We need that. Embrace it. I think it’s a little bit of a jolt for everybody. When you make that move, what are you making it for? To win a championship. That’s what it is. The organization is basically saying, this is the time. And I love it. Now we have to go out there and do it. We are not running from that as a group.”
We have more from around the Central:
- While the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo will likely revisit their discussions about his future in the offseason after no trade materialized last week, the club is facing a more pressing Giannis-related decision in the short term as the two-time MVP works his way back from a calf strain, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. If Antetokounmpo is ready to return sooner rather than later, as head coach Doc Rivers recently suggested, will the Bucks activate him and try to push for a play-in spot or delay his return to action in order to improve their draft position? “Everything they do is in service of Antetokounmpo,” one Western conference executive told ESPN. “It will absolutely be in their best interest to play for a draft pick, but if Giannis wants to try and make the play-in, they’ll try to make the play-in.”
- After signing with the Bucks on Sunday, Cam Thomas told reporters on Monday that he’s excited for his “fresh start” in Milwaukee and can’t wait to play alongside an “all-time great” like Antetokounmpo, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “The front office told me that they always wanted me, always called about me, been trying to get me here for years,” Thomas said. “That definitely plays a part in your decision to go somewhere, because I really felt wanted by the guys. Talked to Doc before. It was great. Great conversations. Just seeing the team, I feel like I can actually help and contribute and just blend in and be one of the guys.”
- Bulls guards Josh Giddey and Tre Jones should be back from their left hamstring injuries soon after the All-Star break, says Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. According to head coach Billy Donovan, both Giddey and Jones have been doing three-on-three work and running at full speed. The Bulls can afford to be cautious and take their time with the duo as the team evaluates some of its newcomers in the backcourt, Cowley notes.
Bulls Notes: Deadline, Karnisovas, Donovan, Yabusele, Dillingham
The Bulls were extremely active this week, making seven trades prior to Thursday’s deadline. Vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas says Chicago wasn’t content with “being in the middle” after making the play-in tournament each of the last three seasons and getting eliminated in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.
“The play-in is not our goal,” Karnisovas said, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “A championship is. We know where we are in standings, and we are not satisfied with being in the middle as an organization or for our fans. At the same time, we are committed to building the right way without skipping steps. This process takes time, but we’ve already made [a] meaningful shift in how we are approaching roster building and development.”
While Karnisovas didn’t use the term rebuild when discussing the Bulls’ roster reconstruction, he acknowledged the team is now prioritizing young players, acquiring draft capital and maintaining financial flexibility, Collier writes. Karnisovas singled out Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue as members of the team’s core going forward.
According to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune, Karnisovas has downplayed the importance of second-round picks in the past, but he shifted his tune during Thursday’s video press conference after the Bulls added eight second-round selections in their several trades.
“Second-rounders are a currency in our industry, and you cannot operate and acquire players and trade players (without them),” Karnišovas said. “We addressed it during the trade deadline and hopefully they’re going to contribute during the draft, during free agency and trying to build this team.”
Here’s more from Chicago:
- As Poe writes, the front office has had multiple transaction windows in which to sell high on players like Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu (and boost the team’s lottery odds in the process), but waited until they were both headed to unrestricted free agency — when their values were at a relative low point — to deal them away. Karnisovas defended the decision, saying, “You don’t want to lose you free agents for nothing,” and said he didn’t regret making the moves when he did. “I do not,” Karnisovas said. “I think we were at that stage as well, we continued evaluating our young guys. Right now it’s a good timing, and we addressed it.”
- Head coach Billy Donovan made it clear he’s committed to staying with the Bulls in the midst of the rebuild, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I’ve talked to you guys about what’s important to me is the mentality, the competitiveness, that kind of stuff, and things can happen quickly too,” Donovan said. “Look at what Detroit was able to do. They were really bad for a while and they took off and have done really well. You look at a team like Boston, where they shed a bunch of salary cap and people thought they weren’t going to be any good and now they’re second in the East, so things can happen pretty quickly.”
- While the roster looks much different, the front office and ownership remain the same, and they were the main issues over the past several years, argues Jon Greenberg of The Athletic. Greenberg gives Karnisovas credit for finally biting the bullet and making long-overdue trades, but is skeptical the results will be much different down the line. Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune also questions whether Karnisovas has a plan to lead the team out of mediocrity.
- Guerschon Yabusele waived his $5.8MM player option for next season as part of being traded to the Bulls because he may have been stuck in New York past the deadline if he hadn’t and he wanted an opportunity to play again, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. The French forward got his wish in his first game as a Bull, recording season highs of 15 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and 33 minutes in Thursday’s loss to Toronto, per Toni Canyameras of BasketNews. “I guess in the summer we’ll figure out what happens. I did give up the player option because I wanted to play basketball at the end of the day. That’s what I was really motivated about, getting out there, having some minutes tonight. It was amazing for me, I’m so happy,” Yabusele said. “I’m a little bit sad because we lost, but just being out there with those guys, it’s been amazing.”
- 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham is hoping to regain his confidence with Chicago after rarely playing for Minnesota over his first two seasons. “Really just confidence, confidence from my teammates, confidence from my coaches, and really confidence in myself,” Dillingham said (Twitter video link via Will Gottlieb of CHGO Bulls. “I really just feel like I haven’t got to get an opportunity where I feel confident. I’m just waiting for the spark to come back.” The 21-year-old guard was acquired from the Wolves in the Dosunmu trade.
Bulls Notes: White, Dosunmu, Jones, Essengue, Terry, Giddey
The two future second-round picks the Bulls received for helping to facilitate Sunday’s Cleveland-Sacramento trade could be useful in other deals this week, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes in a subscriber-only story. Cowley reported in December that executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas was being very aggressive in trade talks, and a source tells him that approach hasn’t changed as the deadline nears.
Chicago has eight potential free agents this summer, including guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu. Cowley hears that Karnisovas is trying to find a taker for White, who’s expected to seek a substantial raise on the open market, but he’s receiving greater interest in Dosunmu and Tre Jones because they’re viewed as more affordable. Jones signed a three-year, $24MM contract last summer. Cowley states that White has been discussed with the Timberwolves and Rockets, and “the door wasn’t completely shut with either team.”
Cowley adds that Karnisovas has contacted the Pelicans in hopes of landing Zion Williamson and/or Yves Missi and has called about Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin as well.
There’s more from Chicago:
- The Bulls are focused on building their roster around Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. Essengue, the 12th pick in last year’s draft, only played two games before being lost for the season with a shoulder injury, but Lorenzi states that the front office still views him as a multi-positional defender and a strong transition threat. He’s seen as the eventual starter at power forward, with Buzelis moving into a wing role. Lorenzi also mentions Missi as a potential trade target, noting that Giddey has never played alongside that type of rim-running center, and he states that the Bulls have indicated to rival teams that they’re willing to help facilitate more trades in exchange for assets.
- Dalen Terry hasn’t been able to establish himself as a rotation player during his four seasons in Chicago and didn’t receive a rookie scale extension before the October deadline. His NBA future might be elsewhere, Cowley relays in a separate story, but that doesn’t mean he’s hoping to be traded by Thursday. “I wouldn’t say that,” Terry said. “I don’t put too much into it. The trade deadline is what it is. You get traded, you get traded. Hopefully it’s to a good place if you do, or hopefully if you don’t, they make a trade, and a good player comes in.”
- Giddey missed his third straight game on Sunday for left hamstring injury management, but he’s not expected to be out of the lineup much longer, Cowley adds. “I think he’s feeling better, but I think it’s going to be, at least in talking to the medical guys, they’re not going to put him out there until they see the tightness is gone,” Donovan said.
Injury Notes: F. Wagner, Okongwu, Giddey, Kawamura, T. Johnson
Franz Wagner doesn’t appear close to returning from the left ankle injury that has kept him on the sidelines for 20 of the Magic‘s past 22 games, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The fifth-year forward was limited to riding a stationary bike during Wednesday’s shootaround in Miami and was scheduled to do standstill shooting after his teammates left the court.
Wagner didn’t experience a setback after he returned for a pair of games earlier this month, according to Beede, who hears the 24-year-old likely hasn’t undergone recent imaging on the ankle. Instead, the soreness is viewed as a lingering effect of the original high ankle sprain he sustained on December 7.
The 24-year-old admitted this week he probably returned too early when he played a pair of contests in Europe against the Grizzlies, the first of which was the NBA’s first-ever regular season game in his home country of Germany. The game took place in Berlin, his home town.
“Definitely not where I want it to be to play, and to play consistently,” Wagner said Wednesday, per Beede. “It’s consistently (that) is the big thing. Obviously I really wanted to play in Berlin but probably wasn’t ready for that yet. So, yeah, tough situation just looking back but definitely still got a little bit to go.”
Wagner explained that he experienced the soreness after the second game in London, when he played 26 minutes in a loss, and continued to feel it days later, Beede notes. He will miss his fifth straight game on Friday and he’s not sure when he’ll be able to return.
“I’m learning that it’s one of those things that can linger a little bit,” Wagner said. “So, I just want to make sure that once I get back, I’m really back, and don’t have to sit out a game here and feel good again. I want to be good for the rest of the year.”
We have more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- Hawks big man Onyeka Okongwu lost a couple of teeth when he was elbowed in the face by Jaylen Brown in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s victory over Boston, relays Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Brown received a flagrant 1 foul for the play, though he said it wasn’t intentional. “Just being aggressive like I always am,” Brown told reporters. “Just a basketball play. It’s unfortunate. Okongwu is a good player. I know from my own experiences with a fractured face and chipped teeth, that (stuff) is a hassle. It wasn’t intentional, and I know it’s going to be a long day at the dentist tomorrow, so hopefully he has a good recovery.” Okongwu underwent a successful dental procedure in Atlanta on Thursday morning, per the Hawks (Twitter link). He was ruled out of Thursday’s loss to Houston and is considered day-to-day moving forward.
- Bulls guard Josh Giddey, who missed about three weeks due to a left hamstring strain before returning last week, experienced tightness in that hamstring in Wednesday’s loss at Indiana and was held out of Thursday’s loss to Miami, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The original plan was for Giddey to play both ends of the back-to-back before the tightness occurred. “Because of the past injury they want to make sure they can clear the tightness up because I think they worry about it going from one thing to the next,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “I don’t know when he’ll return. There was no strain or a setback, anything like that. It’s just a matter of how long it will take them to remove the tightness where he could just play without it.”
- Second-year point guard Yuki Kawamura, whom the Bulls waived in October but re-signed to a two-way deal earlier this month, was grateful to be active for the first time this season on Thursday, Cowley adds. Kawamura has fully recovered from the blood clot in his lower right leg which prompted the team to release him. “Rehab wasn’t easy,” Kawamura said. “It was a long way. I found out I had a blood clot before the season started and I felt real bad because I was so super excited to play. I’m super happy to be here and to be back on the court.” At 5’7″, Kawamura is the shortest player in the NBA, but he’s confident in his ability to play in the league and the longtime Bulls fan is “super excited” to play for the team and its fans.
- Rookie guard Tre Johnson, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 draft, suffered a right ankle sprain in Thursday’s victory over Milwaukee and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, the Wizards announced (via Twitter). Johnson played 11 minutes prior to the injury.
Bulls Notes: Guards, Trade Deadline, Giddey, Rose
The Bulls defeated the Timberwolves on Thursday night in a game that could serve as something of an audition for several Chicago guards, notes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Cowley had previously reported that the Wolves, on the lookout for additional backcourt depth, have potential trade interest in Tre Jones, Coby White, and/or Ayo Dosunmu. On Thursday, Jones had a clutch layup to give the Bulls the lead with 31.1 seconds remaining while White put up 22 points with four rebounds and four assists.
Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune (subscription required) explored the same subject, considering which Bulls guard might appeal most to Minnesota and what the Wolves would offer for each player.
While White has struggled to remain healthy this season, Poe writes that his strong play of late, which includes a healthy stretch in which he hasn’t missed three games in a row since early December, could assuage concerns about his durability. However, White’s $12.9MM cap hit is the largest of the three.
Dosumnu’s $7.5MM salary would be much easier for the Wolves to match, while his defensive presence and knock-down off-ball shooting could make him a nice fit in lineups next to Anthony Edwards.
As for Jones, his appeal could stem in part from his long-term team control, as there are still two more years left on his contract after this season, Poe observes. She adds that he’s not Minnesota’s preferred target, but he’s played well this season and could provide the Wolves with the type of steady floor general they could use as Mike Conley has aged out of a starting spot.
We have more from the Bulls:
- Head coach Billy Donovan says he doesn’t believe that the upcoming stretch of games will be a significant factor in determining the team’s approach at the trade deadline. “With the number of guys we have that are going to be free agents at the end of the season, I just think there’s probably going to be conversations they have, but a lot of it is going to be does it make sense? You have to have (trade) partners to do that, right?” Donovan said. “I’m sure they’re all in communication and talking, and they’ve always been very gracious to come to me and say, ‘This is what we’re talking about, this is what’s going on.’ But I haven’t had any of that or anything that would indicate these next (six) games before the trade deadline are going to be really critical for the team.” The Bulls’ coach adds that when vice president of basketball ops Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley aren’t on the road scouting, he’s in touch with them every day, and he expects any deal that is made to be somewhat down to the wire. “It seems like all the movement happens the day before (or) the day of (the deadline), so to speak, where there’s so much activity,” he said.
- The Bulls have won four straight games, and Josh Giddey‘s return from his 25-day absence due to a hamstring strain has been a big part of the last two victories over Minnesota and Boston, Poe writes. In the matchup with the Wolves, Giddey came off the bench to score 21 points with five assists and six rebounds in 26 minutes. “I felt good,” Giddey said after the game. “It felt like normal basketball. When I got out there tonight, it was nothing new. … I didn’t feel rusty. It didn’t feel like I’d been out too long.” While his shot didn’t fall against the Celtics, he still managed 10 assists and eight rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench. More importantly, Giddey’s return allows the team to get an extended look at the backcourt pairing of him and White. Poe notes that the team is consistently better when those two are on the court, while K.C. Johnson of CHSN adds (via Twitter) that it appears that Giddey will remain coming off the bench for the near future as he ramps up his workload.
- After the Bulls’ victory over the Celtics on Saturday, the team retired franchise legend Derrick Rose‘s jersey in an emotional ceremony attended by Rose’s former teammates, writes Jamal Collier for ESPN. Rose is just the fifth Bull to have his jersey retired, along with Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen. “We wanted to honor him, but we wanted to take the time to actually really plan something really, really special,” Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf said. “I guess we could have done it last year, but I feel like this is the right way to do it. Give him time to prepare and give us time to ramp up to the big day.” Rose says that even though he’s now retired, he’s still chasing rarefied air, this time in the business world. “The astute group of people that I’m chasing after, they’re not on the ‘gram,” he said. “They’re reading. I feel like that’s the sacrifice I have to make right now. In order to get to my goals, I have to make a gambit move.”
Bulls’ Josh Giddey Will Play Tonight
5:51pm: Giddey will play tonight, Johnson tweets. He’ll be on a minutes restriction of roughly 24 minutes.
1:48pm: Bulls point guard Josh Giddey was a full participant in today’s shootaround and has been upgraded from questionable to probable for the team’s game in Minnesota on Thursday night, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network.
Giddey has been out since December 29, having missed Chicago’s past 11 games due to a left hamstring strain.
Prior to the injury, Giddey was making a case for a spot on this year’s All-Star team, posting new career highs in points (19.2), assists (9.0), and rebounds (8.9) per game, as well as three-point percentage (38.6%).
The Bulls have held their own in Giddey’s absence, going 6-5 since he went down. The team is deep enough in the backcourt to withstand the absence of its leading scorer and play-maker, with Ayo Dosunmu, Tre Jones, and Coby White all playing key roles in recent weeks.
While Giddey’s spot on the Bulls’ roster is safe, some of his teammates could be entering their last week or two with the team. Chicago has signaled its willingness to make significant changes ahead of the February 5 trade deadline, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who says White, Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter, and Zach Collins are among the players who have come up in trade talks.
Injury Notes: Giddey, Reid, H. Jones, Whitmore
Bulls guard Josh Giddey was upgraded to questionable ahead of Tuesday’s contest against the Clippers before being ruled out (Twitter links via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network). Giddey, who is working his way back from a strained left hamstring, could return to action on Thursday in Minnesota, head coach Billy Donovan said.
Forward Patrick Williams is dealing with a right ankle sprain and will also be out Tuesday. He’s considered day-to-day, per Johnson.
Here are some more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Timberwolves big man Naz Reid was forced to exit Saturday’s loss at San Antonio after just five minutes due to soreness in his left shoulder. However, the injury doesn’t appear to be serious — he was initially questionable for Tuesday’s game in Utah but has been upgraded to available, per the league’s injury report.
- Defensive stalwart Herbert Jones has been upgraded to questionable ahead of Wednesday’s game vs. Detroit, the Pelicans announced in a press release. Jones, who has popped up in several rumors this season but has reportedly been made unavailable in trade talks, has missed 14 of New Orleans’ last 15 games with a right ankle sprain.
- While Wizards forward Cam Whitmore will miss the remainder of the 2025/26 season due to a blood clot in his right shoulder, he joined the team on the bench during Monday’s loss to the Clippers, which is a good sign for his long-term health, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The former first-round pick will be eligible for an extension in the offseason and will make $5.46MM in ’26/27, which is the final season of his rookie scale contract.