Central Notes: Bulls, Giddey, Robinson-Earl, Mitchell
Isaac Okoro saw plenty of the Bulls‘ relentless fast-paced attack while playing for the division rival Cavaliers, so he’s glad he doesn’t have to defend against it anymore, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (subscription required). Chicago has been exhausting opponents and putting up huge scoring numbers on its way to a 5-0 start.
“It wears you out throughout the game,” Okoro said. “I remember when I was in Cleveland last year and we were playing here, it was like, ‘The Bulls are going to play fast, just try and slow them down in transition.’ But that pace really gets to you. It gets you fatigued by the fourth quarter and then you lose your legs, your shot starts coming up short, and now being here now, playing with that pace and seeing teams fold by the fourth quarter, you see the legs go. You see the hands start going on the knees, and that’s what you want to see. You want to see the opponent tired because that’s when you start killing them.”
Cowley notes that the up-tempo style has become more effective because the Bulls are getting an enormous scoring contribution from their reserves. After ranking 14th in bench points last season with 36 per game, Chicago has moved up to second at 49 PPG. He adds that those numbers could increase further when Coby White and Zach Collins recover from early-season injuries.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Josh Giddey‘s long contract standoff was the Bulls‘ top story of the summer, but so far his new deal looks like a bargain, observes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. Giddey posted a career-high 32 points Friday night, along with 10 rebounds and nine assists, and Lorenzi states that he has taken full control of the offense in his second season with Chicago. “Being in a place where, obviously the contract stuff is out the way now, that’s off my back this season,” Giddey said. “I’m in a place where I’m wanted. I love being here. I’m happy here. Having confidence from your teammates and your coaches to trust me to go out there and make plays. That’s what you need as a player.”
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was headed for the G League before Obi Toppin‘s injury gave him a path to join the Pacers, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Robinson-Earl said he’s “grateful for the opportunity” after signing a 10-day hardship contract earlier today. “He’s proven and shown to be an adaptable guy,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “Over the last day and a half since he’s been here, he’s picked things up very quickly. He’s a very fundamentally sound player. He shoots it, he passes it, he makes the right play. Knows who he is as a player and plays to his strengths.”
- Donovan Mitchell joined the Cavaliers‘ growing injury list for Friday’s loss to Toronto. He sat out the game with left hamstring tightness, per The Associated Press, joining Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Max Strus on the sidelines.
Bulls Notes: Okoro, Vucevic, Williams, Dosunmu
Entering the preseason, it seemed obvious that Josh Giddey, Coby White, Matas Buzelis, and Nikola Vucevic would be part of the Bulls‘ starting lineup, but the fifth spot in that unit remained up for grabs. As Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required) wrote when she explored the topic earlier this week, Isaac Okoro, Kevin Huerter, Ayo Dosunmu, and Tre Jones all looked like candidates for the role.
Now that the Bulls’ preseason has wrapped up, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times believes Okoro is the frontrunner to be the team’s fifth starter, and head coach Billy Donovan acknowledged that he’d be comfortable having the newly added forward defending the opponent’s best perimeter player. However, Donovan also stressed that he doesn’t necessarily plan to lock in a lineup and rotation and stick with that group indefinitely.
“I’ve talked to these guys about it, and it’s not probably necessarily conventional just from the perspective of we’ve got to get out of the old-school NBA mindset of, ‘Here’s my rotation, here’s my guys that go in the game and here’s how many minutes they play,'” Donovan said. “I just don’t know if we’re going to be able to do that.
“Probably over 82 games, there will be a consistent group that starts, but maybe some nights we have to change the starting lineup. In my opinion, we have to change starting lineups based on who we’re playing and what the matchups look like for us.”
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Although Vucevic will turn 35 next week and is entering the final year of his current contract, he’s not thinking about the end of his playing career at this point, as Poe relays for The Chicago Tribune (subscription required). “Retirement is not something that’s at all on my mind,” Vucevic said. “I’m just trying to enjoy it — as long, as much as I can.”
- With the start of the season around the corner, Poe poses five questions facing the Bulls, including whether Buzelis is on an All-Star trajectory, whether White (calf strain) will be available for opening night, and how often the club will use a two-big lineup featuring Vucvic and Jalen Smith.
- After a disappointing fifth year, expectations will be lower for former No. 4 overall pick Patrick Williams as he enters his sixth NBA season, according to Cowley. However, the forward is feeling as healthy as he has in a while and will be focusing on producing more consistently for the Bulls, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. Donovan, who said he believes Williams can still “carve out a really good niche for himself as an NBA player,” noted that he has seen growth from the 24-year-old but stressed the need for him to be able to string together several good games in a row. “As it relates to Patrick, his minutes and stuff like that, a lot of it will be how consistent he’s playing,” Donovan said. “If it’s not going well — for anybody — we may have to go with someone else.”
- Dosunmu has played well in the preseason and appears well positioned for a strong contract year, Cowley writes for The Sun-Times. For his part though, the fifth-year guard isn’t thinking about potential 2026 free agency or what an extension would look like, he recently told reporters. “My main focus is just taking it one day at a time, not worrying about next July or whenever it is, because that’s going to happen when it’s going to happen,” Dosunmu said. “Just stay in the moment.”
Bulls Notes: Okoro, White, Buzelis, Kawamura
The Bulls acquired Isaac Okoro from Cleveland over the summer to help them build a new defensive identity, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. The 24-year-old swingman’s skills on that end of the court were his calling card during five seasons with the Cavaliers, but his role was starting to deteriorate. Lorenzi notes that Okoro averaged a career-low 19.1 minutes in 55 games last season, and his playing time dropped to 14.2 minutes per night in the playoffs.
“I think for both parties, (Cleveland) probably wanted to change. … For me, I wanted to change,” Okoro said. “Of course, it was hard for both of us to be apart, because that’s where I was drafted to. But in this business, changes happen. Things like this, I look at as a blessing because I’m able to rebrand myself. (It’s) a new chance for me to come to this team and bring a leadership that I’ve learned (from) five years in Cleveland and try to help the team with the things I’ve learned throughout the years.”
Bulls management liked Okoro enough to send veteran guard Lonzo Ball to the Cavs in return. Coach Billy Donovan said the teams have different needs and he believes they both benefited from the deal, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
‘‘When I spoke to the front office about (the trade), it was, ‘Hey, this is an opportunity, and what do you think about Isaac?’ ’ Donovan recalled. ‘‘I think the trade, in my opinion, was good (for both teams). We needed some physicality, and Isaac brings that to the table. Where (the Cavaliers are) as an organization now in terms of trying to make a deep playoff run, they had some (backcourt) injuries last year, and this shores up their backcourt a little bit more.’’
There’s more on the Bulls:
- Coby White is still recovering from a calf strain he suffered in August, Cowley adds in a separate story. Donovan said White has been running and shooting, and there’s hope he can be ready for the final preseason game on October 16 and the regular season opener six days later. ‘‘The problem is when they all came back after Labor Day, the calf issue was bothering him,’’ Donovan added. ‘‘Treatment, rehab, all that stuff. And then every time they kind of ramped him up a little bit, it kind of always got to a place where he felt tightness. It wasn’t pain, but every time they got to this threshold, he felt tightness. So they basically just shut him down.’’
- Matas Buzelis showed no fear in attacking Cavaliers big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Lorenzi observes in a recap of Tuesday’s preseason game. Buzelis finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes, and Lorenzi believes he may be ready for a huge second season.
- Two-way point guard Yuki Kawamura was also impressive against the Cavs, handing out five assists in a little more than 14 minutes of action, according to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Kawamura is the shortest player in the league at 5’8″ and there are plenty of guards ahead of him in the rotation, but he believes he’s a perfect fit for the Bulls’ fast-paced attack if he gets a chance to play. “I feel like it fits me,” he said. “I love the system. That’s why it didn’t take me a long time to adjust to the Bulls’ offense.”
- Former NBPA director Justin Jackson – not to be confused with former NBA first-round pick Justin Jackson or former second-round pick Justin Jackson – has been hired as assistant general manager for the Bulls’ Windy City G League affiliate, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Bulls Notes: Buzelis, White, Dosunmu, Jones, Expectations, Giddey
Bulls forward Matas Buzelis averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game while appearing in 80 contests as a rookie. He’s aiming for a major award this season, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times.
“I want to win Most Improved Player this year,” Buzelis said. “That’s what I’m striving for. This is a team sport, and everything is about the team. The individual stuff will come if you win, so I’m worried about winning.”
Here’s more on the Bulls:
- Coby White‘s ability to play by the season opener is somewhat in doubt. Bulls executive VP Arturas Karnisovas indicated that White will be limited in camp by a calf strain he suffered in August, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network tweets. “Hopefully, we can see him by end of preseason,” he said.
- Ayo Dosunmu and Tre Jones are “back from injury and ready to play,” according to Karnisovas (Twitter link via Johnson). Dosunmu underwent shoulder surgery in March. Jones dealt with a left foot sprain late last season.
- Isaac Okoro, acquired in the Lonzo Ball deal, was mainly used as a defensive stopper with Cleveland. He’ll look to do the same with his new team, according to Cowley. “At the end of the day, you look at every team in the NBA there are guys on winning teams that have to sacrifice,” Okoro said. “Everyone in this league wants to score 20, they probably can score 20. They’re coming from being the best player on their high school team, college team, but people have to make sacrifices. In Cleveland I played my role of guarding the best player on the other team, being the hustle guy, and I don’t mind that. At the end of the day I want to win, so if that’s sacrificing that’s the role that I will play.”
- Karnisovas considers player development, rather than wins, as the primary goal in Chicago this season, Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune writes. “This is the way we have to do it,” Karnišovas said. “We have to be patient. We have to do it the right way. We can’t skip steps. For this team next year, we’ve got to show growth.”
- It took a while but restricted free agent Josh Giddey signed a four-year contract this month as a restricted free agent. He never believed he’d wind up elsewhere, according to Poe. “I never had any worries I wasn’t going to be here,” Giddey said. “This was where I wanted to be. They embraced me from day one when I first got here — teammates, front office, fans — and it felt like home really quickly. Right from the jump, I made sure my agent knew this is where I wanted to be. I want to be here long term.”
Bulls Notes: Okoro, Dosunmu, Essengue, Ball
Isaac Okoro, who will be acquired from Cleveland in a trade for Lonzo Ball, is the type of player Bulls general manager Marc Eversley said he’s looking to build the team around during a meeting with reporters earlier this week, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Okoro had mixed results during his five seasons with the Cavaliers, but he’s a strong wing defender who can play multiple positions.
Discussing how the Pacers were able to reach the NBA Finals, Eversley said, “What I take away from Indiana is their style of play. They continue to come at you over and over. They play fast in spite of the score or what quarter it is. That’s kind of how we played this year. They’ve got a bunch of players that can play on both sides of the floor, and that’s exactly what we want to build here in Chicago, players who are versatile. You can’t [defensively] hunt any of their players. Everybody can defend, run and make a shot.”
The Bulls have been criticized for not getting a draft pick in the deal, but Cowley points out that Okoro’s contract isn’t burdensome enough to ask for a sweetener. He’ll make $11MM and $11.8MM over the next two seasons before becoming a free agent in 2027.
Cowley notes that adding Okoro will allow the Bulls to continue trying to unload Patrick Williams, and it will take some pressure off 18-year-old Noa Essengue, the team’s first-round pick, to contribute right away.
There’s more from Chicago:
- The Bulls remain active in trade talks after today’s deal, tweets K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network, who hears that Ayo Dosunmu is being discussed more than Coby White.
- In a Chicago Sports Network interview (Twitter video link), Eversley discusses the decision to draft Essengue at No. 12, saying he was the “best player available, and he fits the style of play that we want to play.”
- Injuries changed the course of Ball’s four years with the Bulls, states Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Ball and the team got off to a strong start after he was acquired in a 2021 trade with New Orleans, but everything changed when he hurt his knee in January of 2022. It appeared to be a routine injury at the time, but Ball missed more than two full seasons before finally making it back in October. He talked about the long recovery process and the thrill of getting back on the court at this year’s exit interview, Poe adds. “I got to a point where I was starting, which I didn’t think was going to happen,” Ball said. “I got to a point where I was playing 30 minutes multiple games in a row, which I didn’t think was going to happen this year. So I went above certain goals that I set for myself, and that’s very positive for me moving forward.”
Bulls Trade Lonzo Ball To Cavaliers For Isaac Okoro
July 6: The one-for-one trade is official, according to a Bulls press release.
June 28: The Bulls are trading point guard Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers in exchange for forward Isaac Okoro, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, has played for Chicago since 2021. However, due to multiple knee injuries, he spent the better part of those four years recovering. He missed the entirety of the 2022/23 and ’23/24 seasons before returning to the lineup this past year.
While his playing time was down from his career averages this season, he still recorded 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per night and had positive on/off-court numbers.
The Bulls signed Ball to a two-year, $20MM extension in February despite trade interest at the time. He’s on the books for $10MM this coming season and has a team option for 2026/27.
Acquiring Ball gives Cleveland a versatile guard to add to its lineup. The 27-year-old has proven to be an effective defender, shooter and facilitator when healthy. The Cavs’ decision to acquire a point guard could also point to pessimism in their ability to re-sign impending free agent Ty Jerome.
Meanwhile, the Bulls are taking a flier of their own in obtaining former No. 5 overall pick Okoro. The Cavaliers didn’t re-sign Okoro to a multi-year contract until September of last year after he became a restricted free agent following the 2023/24 season.
Okoro’s playing time decreased in new head coach Kenny Atkinson‘s system, and he averaged career lows of 6.1 points and 19.1 minutes per game. In the playoffs, Okoro’s averages shrunk to 4.6 PPG across 14.2 MPG.
He’ll be in the second year of the three-year, $33MM deal he inked with Cleveland last year. He’ll count for $11MM against the cap in 2025/26 before his salary rises to a guaranteed $11.8MM next season.
Ball drew interest on the trade market prior to February’s deadline, with the Grizzlies, Pistons, and Timberwolves said to be among the teams to register interest at that time. The Bulls were reportedly offered draft capital in February, but didn’t want to take on a sizable multiyear contract.
Assuming the Ball/Okoro swap is completed as reported, it will hard-cap the Bulls at the first tax apron for the rest of the 2025/26 league year, since they’ll be taking in more salary than they’re sending out. The trade will become official in July, after the players’ new cap hits take effect.
Windhorst: Suns Asked For Darius Garland In Kevin Durant Trade Talks
The Suns contacted the Cavaliers about Darius Garland while trying to put together a Kevin Durant trade, NBA insider Brian Windhorst reported in a discussion with Chris Oldach of ESPN Cleveland (YouTube link).
Windhorst emphasizes that Phoenix initiated the trade talks, stating that Cleveland isn’t reaching out to teams in an effort to unload Garland. He adds that the Cavs’ response was to ask for Durant and “other assets” in a potential deal, which likely would have been “multiple first-round picks.” Presumably that would have included a 2029 first-rounder that originally belonged to Cleveland (though the Jazz now control swap rights on that first-rounder, so there’s no guarantee the Suns will end up with the Cavs’ pick).
Windhorst states that Phoenix “didn’t hang up the phone” when presented with that scenario. He also notes that the Cavaliers would have needed to offload salary before taking on Durant, stating that they contacted at least one team to see if there was interest.
Ultimately, the talks ended before getting serious because Durant didn’t want to play in Cleveland, according to Windhorst, who points out that the forward had a limited number of desired destinations, reportedly Houston, San Antonio and Miami.
Windhorst indicates that several teams in need of point guard help have made inquiries about Garland, who will make $39.5MM next season and is under contract through 2027/28. He also states that Garland “might have been on the verge of asking for a trade” last summer, but he’s now happy in Cleveland after putting together an All-Star season.
Windhorst expects the Cavs to make “an aggressive offer” to keep free agent guard Ty Jerome, which means Isaac Okoro or Dean Wade may have to be moved to clear up salary. He adds that the team won’t trade any of its stars to save money, but it will face difficult decisions while operating in second-apron territory.
Eastern Notes: Carter, Lowry, Porzingis, Cavaliers
Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. feels energized by watching this year’s NBA Finals matchup between a pair of small-market franchises, according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.
“It shows that anything is possible,” Carter said. “It’s very possible. We’ve just got to be even more locked in, be in better shape [and] take care of our bodies even more so that we can withstand 82 games and then go into the playoffs and not drop off at all.”
The Magic were injured early and often last season, with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs missing a combined 105 games. Still, all three players remain on an upward trajectory, having each posted career-best scoring averages in shortened seasons. That leaves Orlando, a playoff team in spite of the injuries, feeling optimistic.
Carter sees the Magic as capable of playing in a similar style to the Thunder and Pacers.
“It’s been nothing shy of amazing. With these two teams in the Finals, it’s very good for the NBA,” Carter said. “Very healthy that two small-market teams [are] getting this type of exposure. Of course, I want us to be there one day playing for a championship, to bring a championship to Orlando [but] it’s a good thing what’s going on right now with both teams young, scrappy [to have] made it that far. It’s a good sign, for sure.”
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Sixers guard Kyle Lowry is likely to be back for another season, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes in a subscriber-only mailbag. Philadelphia values Lowry for his leadership and mentorship of young guards like Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain. As Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing writes, Blake Griffin revealed during a recent podcast on the Pardon My Take podcast (YouTube link) that Lowry may be joining Amazon’s NBA coverage in some capacity. However, Griffin referred to it as a “player correspondent” role, which suggests Lowry could work in that role prior to retiring as a player.
- Trading Kristaps Porzingis would be a mistake in the eyes of one anonymous front office executive, Heavy’s Steve Bulpett writes. “Unless they know something about Porzingis that we don’t, I don’t see how they can let him go,” the source said. “When Boston was right, he’s a major factor and they win. Yeah, he wasn’t a huge part of what they did in the playoffs last year. Because of the matchups, it didn’t hurt them that bad when he missed a bunch of games. But then you look and see, he scored well when he did play, and he was giving them a couple of blocks a game in limited minutes.” Porzingis was a major factor in two Celtics wins in the Finals last season but averaged just 7.7 points per game in the playoffs this year while dealing with the effects of a lingering illness.
- The Cavaliers will face an uphill battle to retain both Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill due to their already large payroll. According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com on the Wine and Gold Talk podcast (YouTube link), the Cavs’ front office is canvassing the league to see if salary-shedding trades are on the table. Fedor says they have had a hard time finding any takers for Isaac Okoro‘s contract that runs through 2026/27 unless they attach an asset. The team has also explored moving Dean Wade, per Fedor (hat tip to RealGM).
Central Notes: Cavs, Omoruyi, Pistons, Holland, Bucks
While it would be a no-brainer for the Cavaliers to re-sign Ty Jerome if their cap situation allowed for it, he may be a luxury the team can’t afford, according to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link). Previewing Cleveland’s major offseason decisions, Gozlan notes that the club likely didn’t expect Jerome to break out to the extent he did in 2024/25 and probably can’t realistically pay him mid-level money while also carrying two other guards on maximum-salary contracts.
Elsewhere in his preview, Gozlan outlines why re-signing free agent sharpshooter Sam Merrill will also be difficult and suggests that Isaac Okoro looks like the Cavaliers’ most expendable player earning an eight-figure salary if the front office wants to shed some salary.
Here’s more from around the Central Division;
- The Cavaliers brought in Alabama big man Clifford Omoruyi for a pre-draft workout earlier this week, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Omoruyi, who ranks 80th on ESPN’s big board of 2025 draft prospects, could be a target for the Cavs at No. 49, at No. 58, or as an undrafted free agent.
- With Boston believed to be looking to shed salary this offseason, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) explores whether the Pistons might make a good trade partner for the Celtics. Sankofa’s proposals include a hypothetical deal for Derrick White, one for Jrue Holiday, and one that would swap the No. 37 overall pick for Sam Hauser.
- Pistons forward Ron Holland didn’t make an All-Rookie team in 2024/25, but few first-year players had more significant roles on playoff teams, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, who looks back on Holland’s rookie year and considers what’s next for the No. 5 overall pick. As Langlois details, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff likes the defensive impact Holland and Ausar Thompson can make when they play together, but Holland may need to improve his three-point shot for that combination to work offensively.
- In his latest mailbag, Eric Nehm of The Athletic fields a series of Bucks-related questions on the team’s potential “gap year,” the disabled player exception that might be available due to Damian Lillard‘s Achilles injury, and Brook Lopez‘s upcoming free agency, among other topics.
Mobley, Garland, Hunter Ruled Out For Game 2
Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter have all been ruled out for Game 2 of the Cavaliers’ second-round series against the Pacers, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets.
It’s a huge dilemma for the top seed in the Eastern Conference as they try to avoid going 0-2 in the series on Tuesday.
Mobley sustained a sprained left ankle in Game 1. Garland will miss his fourth straight game due to a sprained big toe on his left foot that has nagged him since the end of the regular season. Hunter suffered a dislocated right thumb in the series opener.
During his pregame press conference, coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t confirm that the trio was out, but stated that he and his staff made preparations for all scenarios.
“We’ve got to be ready for plan A, B, and C,” Atkinson said. “We’ve got a great group. We’ve got great leadership. We’ve always responded. Great maturity, great professionalism, and this is part of what we figure things out as a group. These experiences make you better, make you stronger as a group and we obviously have to respond on the floor, but liked our approach leading up.”
Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill, Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade are some of the players who will have to step up with a pair of Cavs starters and a top reserve unavailable.