Bulls Notes: Tanking, Okoro, Miller, Essengue
The Bulls aren’t winning very often, but they still aren’t tanking and that isn’t likely to change, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes in a subscriber-only story. Thursday’s loss to the Lakers left Chicago at 27-39, which is the league’s ninth-worst record and only a half-game away from Milwaukee in the lottery race. Coach Billy Donovan said he hasn’t received any directive from executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas to stop playing his best lineups and he doesn’t expect to.
“If we get to a place where we are mathematically out of anything as it relates to postseason and there are guys that are dealing with some ailments or have challenges health-wise, could they say, ‘Hey, let’s get these guys right first’? I don’t know,” Donovan said. “Everything I got from them up to this point in time is to continue to put our best foot forward.”
As Cowley notes, it’s been hard to get a read on the new roster since the trade deadline upheaval because of injuries. Donovan and the front office would like to get a better look at Anfernee Simons and Jaden Ivey before they become free agents this summer, but Simons is sidelined with a wrist fracture and Ivey is dealing with lingering soreness in his left knee. The team announced today that Ivey will practice with its G League affiliate, so he could be nearing a return.
“The Anfernee thing has made it tough to evaluate him, but he does have a large body of work, and so does Collin (Sexton),” Donovan said. “Rob (Dillingham) would be a guy that you can really, really take a look at. The Jaden situation has been unfortunate because he played four games and now he’s out, he’s trying to rehab, but everything I’ve gotten from (the front office) is go out there and help these guys be as competitive and successful as they can be, and put the focus on winning, and I think that’s the same thing as ownership.”
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- Isaac Okoro sat out Thursday’s game after being a late scratch Tuesday at Golden State with a knee issue, Cowley adds. “He’s had it before,” Donovan said. “It’s probably going to take a little bit of time to make it calm down. Generally, he starts to feel better each day that goes by. I don’t think it’s a long-term thing or anything like that. He’s just got some inflammation there that they need to calm down.”
- Leonard Miller, who was acquired from Minnesota at the deadline, made his third start Thursday since joining the Bulls and continues to put up impressive numbers. He finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in 31 minutes after posting 17 points and 11 rebounds in 38 minutes on Tuesday. Chicago holds a $2.4MM team option on Miller for next season, and Cowley suggests in a separate story that it might be a good idea to keep him in his current role when Patrick Williams recovers from an ankle injury. “I’m always ready to go out there and compete at a high level,” Miller said. “I think I demonstrated that and that’s what I’m going to continue to demonstrate. Me playing at a high level and having a good game, I’m kind of not surprised because I have that belief in myself, I’m confident, and I feel like the sky is the limit with me.”
- Noa Essengue has been cleared for non-contact basketball activities and is considering playing in Summer League, per K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). Essengue, the 12th pick in last year’s draft, only appeared in two games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. “It’s been a tough year,” he said. “But that’s a goal in life, to always stay positive. It doesn’t matter what happens, whether you’re playing good or bad, you have an injury or are healthy, you stay positive and keep working. That’s what I’ve done.”
Bulls’ Simons Out At Least Two More Games Due To Wrist Fracture
Combo guard Anfernee Simons will visit a hand specialist after the Bulls finish their ongoing road trip, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The Bulls face the Clippers on Thursday and the Lakers on Friday before returning to Chicago ahead of Monday’s home game vs. Memphis.
Head coach Billy Donovan said Simons was able to take some shots during the Bulls’ shootaround on Tuesday. However, the 26-year-old is still experiencing pain, particularly when catching and dribbling the ball, Cowley writes.
Simons, who was acquired ahead of the deadline in a trade with Boston, appeared in six games with Chicago prior to aggravating an ulnar styroid fracture in his left wrist on February 21. He originally sustained the injury during training camp with the Celtics.
Donovan said a couple weeks ago that surgery wasn’t being considered for Simons. At the time, he suggested it might be an option once the season ends if the fracture was still causing Simons problems. The former first-round pick has missed Chicago’s last eight games because of the injury and will be out for at least two more.
Simons, who is earning $27.7MM in the final season of his contract, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign a veteran extension before then. In 55 total games this season (24.9 minutes per contest), he has averaged 14.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists on .440/.385/.896 shooting splits.
Bulls Notes: Sexton, Ivey, Olbrich, Injuries
The Bulls are giving Collin Sexton a spotlight that he might not have expected when he was traded to the team last month, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes in a subscriber-only piece. The veteran guard played 38 minutes on Thursday at Phoenix and responded with 30 points as Chicago posted a surprising road win.
‘‘Definitely very appreciative,’’ Sexton said. ‘‘At the end of the day, I always take one day at a time, one second at a time, one minute at a time. At the end of the day, I always tell myself [to] be where my feet are at and be grounded and focus on the now. Don’t focus too far in the future. I appreciate the team, as well as the organization, giving me the opportunity and trusting me down the stretch with the ball but also to make plays for others. I appreciate that.’’
Holding a nearly $19MM expiring contract on a team with an abundance of guards, Sexton may not be in the Bulls’ plans beyond the rest of this season. And while it’s probably in Chicago’s best long-term interest to lose as much as possible over the next five weeks, Sexton is focused on doing all he can to win games and build a strong relationship with coach Billy Donovan.
‘‘I appreciate Coach,’’ Sexton said. ‘‘He’s been going through a lot [the death of his father and mother-in-law in the last month], and I’ve been praying for him, my family has been praying for him. And for him to come out each and every day with a smile on his face and trying to encourage us … he’s had a lot going on.’’
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- Jaden Ivey didn’t travel with the team on its 10-day road trip and is undergoing treatment on his left knee that may determine if he plays again this season, Cowley states in a separate story. “That’s going to be really, really critical,” Donovan said. “He’s made strides and he’s gotten better, but the medical guys want to see some improvement in that strengthening. Two weeks passed a few days ago, now he’s got this third week, and he’s gotten stronger, but to make another jump there are certain things the medical guys are going to want to see and have him cross some thresholds.” Ivey has only appeared in four games since being acquired from Detroit at the deadline, and Cowley notes that the Bulls’ decision-makers would like to see him in action a little more before he becomes a restricted free agent this summer.
- Australian big man Lachlan Olbrich approached his first NBA season without any expectations, Cowley adds. After signing a two-way contract last summer, he has seen limited playing time in 21 games. “I didn’t know what to expect coming into it, obviously, but I feel like I built a really strong foundation,” Olbrich said. “I’ve been talking a lot about foundation and hopefully in the next couple seasons I can really build on it. That’s really been the focus. I’m not worried about the minutes or the games played, anything like that. It’s just been a massive learning experience for me in my first year, which has been good for me.”
- The Bulls were missing five rotation players on Thursday, but Donovan expects Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis and Patrick Williams to all be available for Sunday’s game at Sacramento, according to Cowley. Jalen Smith (calf strain) and Anfernee Simons (left hand injury) both remain sidelined with no set timetable to return.
Bulls Notes: Losing Streak, Williams, Smith, Simons
The Bulls entered the month of February with a 24-25 record and a relatively firm grip on a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. Eleven games later, Chicago is still stuck on 24 wins and is five games out of the play-in picture, having just endured the worst month in franchise history at 0-11, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
That 11-game losing streak is the third-longest in Bulls history, though – as Cowley points out – the organization probably didn’t mind that the latest defeat on Thursday night came at the hands of the Trail Blazers. Chicago will receive Portland’s 2026 first-round pick if it’s outside of the lottery, so the Bulls will be rooting for the Blazers to earn a playoff spot.
Of course, while the Bulls’ trade deadline moves may have signaled that the front office is comfortably tanking down the stretch, head coach Billy Donovan insists that’s not how he’s operating and it’s not the message management has conveyed to him.
“The discussions I had with (the players) when the trade deadline was finalized was, ‘Nothing has changed, try and get these guys to play to the best of their ability; we know it’s going to be somewhat challenging with seven new players,'” Donovan said, per Cowley. “Even talking to ownership, it’s been, ‘Hey, go out there and do your very best.’ There has been no indication from ownership or the front office of, ‘Hey, listen, if we finish here, here or here’ or ‘Listen, don’t worry about playing these guys; just play these guys.’ There’s been none of that at all.
“Philosophically, I get the dynamics once June, whatever date that draft date is, I get how that impacts all of that. It’s not like I’m sitting over there saying, ‘Well, it’s a close game right now, let’s sit Josh (Giddey) and Tre (Jones) and Jalen (Smith).’ There has not been that. And I think if I did do that, they would say, ‘Listen, you need to put the best guys out there.'”
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- Bulls forward Patrick Williams, who underwent imaging on his right quad injury, is expected to be out for at least a week, Donovan said on Thursday, according to Cowley. “It could be longer, although I think they would try to ramp him up and do some more in about a week (after they) can get it to calm down,” Donovan explained.
- Jalen Smith has missed the past two games due to a right calf strain and is on a similar timeline to Williams, Donovan added. He’s about a week away from starting to get reconditioned, Cowley writes. With Zach Collins out for the season, Chicago has been starting Guerschon Yabusele at the five, with sixth-year center Nick Richards playing significant minutes off the bench.
- Although there’s no official timeline for Anfernee Simons‘ return after he aggravated a broken bone in his wrist, an injury he initially sustained in training camp with Boston, Donovan says surgery isn’t being considered right now and is optimistic the impending free agent guard will return in 10-to-14 days, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. “I don’t think there’s anything to do (regarding surgery),” Donovan said. “Maybe at the end of the year, if it’s still causing a problem. We haven’t even talked about that yet. I don’t even know if surgery is an option or not. Right now, what we’re doing is trying to let it calm down. … But if he gets hit again, he’s probably going to have to do the same thing.” Donovan added that Simons’ injury, which is technically a left ulnar styroid fracture (Twitter link via Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic), is a matter of pain tolerance.
Rory Maher contributed to this post.
Bulls Notes: Simons, Ivey, White, Losing Streak, Collins, Dillingham
There’s uncertainty regarding the status of two recently acquired guards, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan told the media, including The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley, on Tuesday.
Anfernee Simons is dealing with a left hand fracture. After Simons injured his hand on Saturday, he had imaging done on Monday. That revealed what the Bulls referred to as a preexisting fracture in the hand, which he’s been dealing with since training camp with the Celtics. However, he doesn’t require a surgical procedure unless the injury worsens, and he could return soon.
“He did have some difficulty in Boston with it in training camp and missed a little bit of time, maybe 10 days with it,” Donovan said. “The fracture hasn’t quite healed and I think him seeing a hand specialist they decided that once the pain subsides, he’s fine to go back to play. I don’t know how long that’s going to be.”
Jaden Ivey, meanwhile, is dealing with left knee soreness that will keep him out at least two weeks. Donovan discussed that issue in more detail on Tuesday.
“We started him on a program, right now just to ramp him up physically,” Donovan said. “A lot of it has been to get the strength back in around his knee. That process started a couple days ago, so he’s in the midst of doing that. Talking to the medical guys it’s going to be pretty intense for him, the program to get the strength back as quickly as possible, so he’s going to have to really work hard on that part of it. I think he feels better not playing, the pain has subsided, but the biggest concern the medical guys have is his strength.”
Ivey underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee in October. He previous suffered a fractured left fibula last January that ended his 2024/25 season early.
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Coby White isn’t dwelling on the past when it comes to his Bulls career. White was dealt to Charlotte earlier this month with free agency looming. “You could always live in ‘what could have been,'” he said, per Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. “I’ve kind of learned through my life that ‘what could have been’ brings you nothing but anxiousness and worry. Things happen for a reason. That’s just how the chips fell. A lot of it is out of your control. I don’t really try to live in the ‘what if.'” White made his Hornets debut against his former team on Tuesday and finished with 10 points and four assists in 16 minutes.
- The Bulls’ losing streak stretched to 10 games, their longest since January 2019, as they were blown out 131-99 by the Hornets on Tuesday, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets. Matas Buzelis was the lone bright spot, as he scored a career-high 32 points.
- Zach Collins was shut down for the season over the weekend after it was determined he required toe surgery. He actually apologized to Donovan for his lack of availability this season. ‘‘I just told him, ‘I’m sorry, man,’’’ Collins said, per Cowley. ‘‘I thought I had a lot more to give him this year. Unfortunately, between the wrist and the toe, I just didn’t have a chance to show it. ‘I thought I had a really good summer. I was really looking forward to helping the team. It’s been a frustrating year injury-wise as a whole for the team, but individually I knew I had more to give him and felt like the team would have been in a better spot had I not gone through all these injuries.’’ Collins, who played just 10 games, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Another recently acquired guard, Rob Dillingham, is getting an extensive look amid all the changes and injuries in the backcourt. “I’ve got an opportunity here,” he told Poe of the Tribune (subscription required). “At least here I’m getting on the floor, you know? It’s up to me to perform to the best of my opportunity, and then from there it’ll keep growing and growing.” It’s been a struggle thus far for the former Timberwolves guard. He played 23 minutes against the Hornets but shot 2-for-9 from the field and committed three turnovers, compared to five assists. Through his first seven games as a Bull, Dillingham is averaging 7.6 points while shooting 39.2% from the floor and 18.2% on three-pointers.
Bulls Notes: Simons, Ivey, Huerter, Tanking
Anfernee Simons will miss the Bulls‘ matchup against the Knicks on Sunday with a left wrist sprain, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). Simons left Saturday’s loss to the Pistons after just 13 minutes due to the injury.
According to head coach Billy Donovan, Simons will undergo imaging on the wrist on Monday, and it’s entirely possible that the “sprained wrist” diagnosis will change following the results of those tests (Twitter link via Lorenzi). Donovan said the Bulls don’t currently know the severity of the injury.
Prior to Saturday, Simons had played five games with the Bulls after being acquired in a deal that sent Nikola Vucevic to the Celtics. In those five games, he averaged 17.4 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.0 rebounds with a .446/.327/1.000 shooting line.
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- Chicago’s trade deadline was filled with moves designed to secure the best possible lottery odds this summer, but the acquisition of Jaden Ivey was one of the few forward-facing moves they made in terms of adding personnel. Ivey’s recent injury status makes that calculation more complicated, especially given his impending free agency, writes The Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe. However, despite Ivey’s comments about his body not feeling the same following knee and leg injuries, Poe says there’s cautious optimism from the team’s coach about his ability to recapture his old form. “There’s a feeling that if he can get some more strength back then he can get back to where he was athletically,” Donovan said. “He knows that he’s not as explosive as he once was, but I don’t think that means that he can’t get back to that point. A big part of that is going to be him getting stronger.” According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Ivey’s former coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, agrees with Donovan, but adds that the most important part of the process is mental. “We expected a full recovery, but the timing you never know; it’s something you can never know,” Bickerstaff said. “And then the part for him is believing and trusting in it. That happens with the injury, too, especially when you’re explosive and your athleticism is so unique. You’ve got to find that trust back in it.”
- Kevin Huerter recently spoke about the trade that sent him from the Bulls to the Pistons, Cowley writes. One thing he touched on was the lack of clarity in Chicago about whether the team would compete or move into a rebuilding phase. “We talked about it [as a team], and we just didn’t know,” Huerter said. “We were sitting at .500 most of the year. It could have gone either way. As players, you have to expect everything, but seven or eight trades, whatever it was, I don’t know if anyone expected that.” While the move to the East-leading Pistons came as a surprise, the 27-year-old shooting guard is grateful for the opportunity it has provided him. “The transition, it’s always tough in season, even coming here last year, it was tough to move everything, your whole life, in about a week,” he said. “But you’re going to a team like this, No. 1 in the East, and they just compete their ass off.”
- The Bulls are behind the eight ball when it comes to maximizing their 2026 draft lottery odds, Poe writes, noting that Chicago has the ninth-worst record in the league at 24-33 and might have a hard time dropping any further than that. Poe suggests the belated effort to tank has something in common with vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas‘ habit of not dealing players until after their value has started to decline. Still, Poe writes that the move to begun the next era of Bulls basketball is the right one, given the depth and promise of the 2026 draft class.
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.
Bulls Notes: Ivey, Dillingham, McClung, Guards
The Bulls have positioned themselves as the league’s preeminent “second draft” team, Fred Katz writes for The Athletic, referencing recent moves for young players in need of a change of scenery.
One such player is the newly acquired Jaden Ivey, who came to Chicago in a three-team trade involving Kevin Huerter. Like Josh Giddey when he was acquired by the Bulls, Ivey is nearing restricted free agency and had lost clarity in his role with the highly successful team that drafted him — though in Ivey’s case, that was due in large part to the broken leg that sidelined him for much of last season.
Ivey is not in a position where he’ll be handed control of the Bulls’ offense, Katz writes, especially with the number of guards on the roster, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be in a position to excel.
Katz notes that Ivey has shot the three exceptionally well since the start of last season, and the Bulls, who traded two free agent-to-be point guards at the deadline, will have ample cap space this summer. If Ivey can return to his physical form while continuing to shoot at a high level, there could be a spot for him next to Giddey in the backcourt.
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- Another new addition to the Bulls’ backcourt is second-year guard Rob Dillingham. Head coach Billy Donovan has been impressed by Dillingham’s speed and ability to penetrate the defense but wants much more from him as a processor of the game. “The decision-making, the shots that he’s taking, are not sustainable. And I told him that,” Donovan said, per The Athletic’s Joel Lorenzi (Twitter link). “His job and responsibility is to generate shots for guys when he gets there… it’s not like I’m giving him free rein. We need him downhill, but he also can’t be jumping off of two feet, getting caught in the air, shooting over guys, trying to throw passes that aren’t there. He’s gotta clean that up, and we’ve gotta help him do it.” Donovan added that he wants Dillingham to maintain his level of aggression and that he believes the young guard will find that balance with time.
- Chicago recently signed three-time Dunk Contest champion Mac McClung to a two-way deal, which represents the latest step towards McClung reaching his dream of carving out a role for himself in the NBA. The 27-year-old guard turned down highly lucrative offers overseas to play in the G League and stay ready for his call-up, Anthony Olivieri writes for ESPN. “This [NBA quest] is where my heart’s at,” McClung said. “… You can’t keep telling me no forever.”
- The Bulls players know that the team they’re on is strangely constructed and not built for longevity, Lorenzi writes, but that just makes the challenge for players like Anfernee Simons more interesting. “This not a normal situation,” Simons said earlier in the week, shaking his head. “Seven new guys, six of them are playing heavy minutes and we have to just learn on the fly like that. It’s just gonna take tons of communication. Experience. Just going through it together with mistakes and everything… Obviously, we want to win. That’s the end goal. Right now is the time that we learn each other and learn from our mistakes and just try to build something from there.” With Simons, the maniacally competitive Collin Sexton, and Ivey all in contract years, the team is loaded with new guards who will be motivated to perform at a high level in the next couple months. The team will likely lose many games, but it won’t be for lack of trying on the part of the players.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Vucevic, Simons, Garza, Queta
Monday’s practice with Boston’s G League affiliate represented the first time that Celtics forward Jayson Tatum had taken part in a 5-on-5 scrimmage with NBA and NBAGL players – as opposed to coaches – during his Achilles recovery process, ESPN’s Shams Charania said during an appearance on NBA Today (Twitter video link). Charania hears that Tatum looked “great,” but cautions that there are still several more checkpoints for the 27-year-old to pass before he could suit up for an NBA game.
“I’m feeling good,” Tatum said after his first practice with the Maine Celtics, per Brian Robb of MassLive. “… (Tuesday) is 39 weeks (since the injury), so it’s been a long journey. And it’s just like the progression of rehab. It was the next step. Doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or I’m not. It’s just following the plan. So it’s just another step.”
The 35-19 Celtics hold the No. 2 record in the Eastern Conference despite not having Tatum available at all this season. He said this week that there had been “no doubt” in his mind entering the season about the club’s ability to play at this level while he recovered from his Achilles tear, adding that it’s been “really fun and cool” to see what his teammates have done. He also spoke positively about Boston’s pre-deadline trade to acquire veteran center Nikola Vucevic, as Robb relays.
“Vuc is a hell of a player,” Tatum said. “Obviously I’ve competed against him for the last eight years. I’m excited about the things he brings to this team and the different dynamic. So we’re all excited to have him.”
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- Less than a week after being traded from the Celtics to the Bulls for Vucevic, Anfernee Simons was back in Boston on Wednesday as a visiting player. Before the game, the veteran guard spoke glowingly about his brief stint with the Celtics and said he could “for sure” see himself returning to the team later in his career if the opportunity arises (Twitter video link via Bobby Manning of CLNS Media). Simons added that he understood why Boston made the trade, referring to Vucevic as a “great player” who will give the C’s another floor-stretching option in the frontcourt.
- After using a double-big starting lineup featuring Neemias Queta and Luka Garza in the first three games since trading Simons, head coach Joe Mazzulla made an adjustment on Wednesday, moving Garza back to the bench. As Robb writes for MassLive.com, the move helped get the Celtics’ offense going but resulted in Garza playing just seven minutes, his lowest single-game total since early December. That could be a trend going forward with Vucevic likely to eat into his playing time.
- In a mailbag for MassLive.com, Robb considers whether or not Vucevic will eventually find his way into the Celtics’ starting lineup and argues that it makes more sense for Queta to hang onto that spot because he’s steadier on the defensive end.
Post-Deadline Rumors: Morant, JJJ, Bulls, Missi, Celtics
The fact that Ja Morant wasn’t traded at last week’s deadline came as a bit of a surprise to him, according to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints, who says the Grizzlies weren’t willing to accept a package similar to what Atlanta got for Trae Young.
The Grizzlies talked to the Heat, Timberwolves, and Bucks about Morant, but didn’t come close to making a deal, Azarly writes. League sources tell ClutchPoints that Ryan Rollins was a player Memphis and Milwaukee talked about, but the Grizzlies were averse to taking back Kyle Kuzma and/or Bobby Portis, who are both on multiyear guaranteed contracts.
According to reporting last week, Memphis signaled a willingness to take on long-term salary if it came attached to first-round draft compensation, but there’s no indication the Bucks would’ve put their lone tradable first-rounder on the table for Morant.
The expectation is that the Grizzlies will try to trade Morant again in the summer, and Azarly suggests that the point guard should be able to return from his left elbow injury not long after the All-Star break. As Azarly explains, even though Memphis has pivoted to a full-on rebuild and would benefit from piling up losses down the stretch, both the team and Morant himself would appreciate the opportunity to have the 26-year-old rebuild his trade value with a strong finish to the season.
Here are a few more leftover rumors from last week’s trade deadline:
- In addition to Golden State and Toronto – whose talks with the Grizzlies were previously reported – the Pistons and Hawks also “checked in” on Jaren Jackson Jr. before he was dealt to the Jazz, while the Suns and Hornets also had interest, says Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. There’s no indication that any of those teams made any real progress toward acquiring Jackson from Memphis.
- The Bulls, who acquired a total of eight second-round picks in their various pre-deadline deals, made an effort to flip some of those second-rounders to the Pelicans last Thursday in a deal for second-year center Yves Missi, Siegel writes. However, New Orleans was holding out for a first-round pick and ended up retaining Missi through the deadline.
- Sources who spoke to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) viewed the Celtics‘ swap of Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic as a “clear indicator” that Boston thinks forward Jayson Tatum will be able to return before the end of the season. Simons’ was the team’s fourth-leading scorer prior to the trade, but would’ve likely seen his role reduced in a rotation that featured a healthy Tatum.