Bulls Waive Kay Felder
The Bulls have made a minor change to their roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve waived second-year point guard Kay Felder. Felder will become an unrestricted free agent on Thursday, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers.
Felder, a Detroit native, joined the Cavaliers last season after being selected 54th overall in the 2016 draft. He spent his entire rookie year in Cleveland, but was a victim of the Cavs’ roster crunch this fall after the team acquired three players for Kyrie Irving and signed Dwyane Wade. Felder was cut by the Cavs at the end of the preseason, then claimed off waivers by the Bulls.
Although the Bulls’ point guard situation was in flux to start the 2017/18 season, Felder didn’t see much playing time for the club, averaging 9.6 MPG in 14 contests. For his career, he has recorded 3.9 PPG and 1.4 APG in 56 games (9.3 MPG). Felder has been far more productive in the G League, averaging 27.2 PPG and 5.7 APG in 14 total games for the Canton Charge and Windy City Bulls.
Because Felder’s salary for 2017/18 wasn’t fully guaranteed, the Bulls will only carry a partial cap charge after waiving him. If my math is right, Felder’s cap hit will be just shy of $490K, assuming he’s not claimed by another team on waivers.
We’ll see if the Bulls have a corresponding roster move lined up after cutting Felder, but for the time being, the team has an open spot on its squad.
Felicio and Felder Recalled
- The Bulls have recalled Cristiano Felicio and Kay Felder from their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, one day after assignment, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Felicio scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in last night’s loss to the Raptors 905.
Hornets Inquired On Butler Before Trade To Wolves
- In his latest piece for ESPN.com, Zach Lowe passes along an after-the-fact trade rumor, writing that the Hornets made “initial inquiries” last spring on Jimmy Butler when he was still in Chicago. The Bulls had no interest in any of Charlotte’s pieces though, league sources tell Lowe.
Mirotic Showing Why He Won Starting Job
- In four games since returning to the Bulls, Nikola Mirotic has shown why he won a starting job during preseason, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Mirotic had 29 points and nine rebounds tonight as Chicago, which was a league-worst 3-20 in his absence, improved to 4-0 with him in the lineup. “He does a lot of little things that don’t show up in the box score,” said coach Fred Hoiberg. “He’s in the right spot defensively, he’s in a stance, he knows where to be, he understands the game plan.”
Deveney: Hoiberg's Seat Heating Up?
- Sean Deveney of The Sporting News examines the job security for head coaches around the NBA, concluding that Frank Vogel (Magic), Mike Budenholzer (Hawks), Dave Joerger (Kings), and Fred Hoiberg (Bulls) are among those whose seats are hottest.
Portis And Mirotic Coexisting For Bulls
- David Nwaba was a mere waiver wire acquisition by the Bulls but he has become a vital part of the team, NBA.com’s Sam Smith writes. “His skill is he goes out and plays harder than everybody else on the floor,” said Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg. As a reserve, Nwaba is averaging 8.3 PPG for the 6-20 Bulls.
- While Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic‘s violent preseason scuffle that resulted in suspensions and facial surgery captured headlines, the duo’s recent on-court competition for the Bulls has been a pleasant change of pace, Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago.
Bulls Gauging Trade Value Of Mirotic, Lopez
The NBA trade deadline is still almost two months away, but the Bulls have started doing their homework on the market. According to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, who cites one team executive from each conference, the Bulls have made “preliminary inquiries” to assess the trade value of veteran bigs Nikola Mirotic and Robin Lopez.
Despite their three-game winning streak, which includes a win over the conference-leading Celtics, the Bulls are still just 6-20, tied for the NBA’s worst record. As such, the club is expected to be a seller at the February 8 trade deadline, making Mirotic and Lopez logical trade candidates.
Lopez and Mirotic are the Bulls’ highest-paid players, though neither contract is onerous. Lopez is earning $13.79MM this season and has one more guaranteed year worth $14.36MM. Mirotic has a $12.5MM cap hit for this season and a $12.5MM team option for 2018/19, meaning Chicago could lose him for nothing in unrestricted free agency in July.
Of course, while Lopez’s contract situation and age (29) are enough to make him a trade candidate, there are a few other factors at play in Mirotic’s case. The 26-year-old missed the start of the 2017/18 season after suffering a concussion and facial fractures as a result of a Bobby Portis punch, and while the two power forwards appear to be coexisting now, Mirotic reportedly wouldn’t mind being moved.
With nearly 100 players set to become trade-eligible later this week, trade discussions around the NBA may start to heat up soon. However, most teams won’t finalize any deals until closer to the deadline. If the Bulls decide to move Mirotic, they’ll have no choice but to wait — his trade restrictions don’t lift until January 15.
Lopez Among Bulls' Most Tradeable Assets
- Center Robin Lopez, power forward Nikola Mirotic and shooting guard Justin Holiday are three Bulls players that Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times views as trade bait. All three are rotation players whose contracts expire after next season, though there’s a team option on the final year of Mirotic’s deal, worth $12.5MM.
Mirotic Provides Calm Confidence, Thrives With Portis
Not only does the return of Nikola Mirotic give the struggling Bulls an extra offensive weapon, he provides a calm confidence that the young team can benefit from. Nick Friedell of ESPN writes that Mirotic has set the bar high upon his return, taking particular pleasure in the fact that the 5-20 team is 2-0 since he returned to the court.
Friedell adds that Mirotic has been playing particularly well alongside frontcourt teammate Bobby Portis. Together the pair who’s training camp skirmish made national headlines is rocking a 115.6 offensive rating with a 103.8 defensive rating. The pairing alone has yielded 59 of the Bulls’ 223 points over the last two games and they’ve only been on the floor together for 24 minutes.
The Bulls may be in the midst of a rebuild, not particularly committed to any specific player, but Mirotic has shown plenty of potential when asked to take on a large offensive role. From March 22 on last season, Mirotic averaged 17.0 points and 7.2 rebounds in just under 30 minutes per game.
Nikola Mirotic Set To Return For Bulls
After being sidelined for over a month and a half, Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic is set to make his season debut on Friday night against the Hornets, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Mirotic had targeted tonight’s game for his return, and head coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed after today’s shootaround that the veteran big man is ready to go.
“Niko will play tonight,” Hoiberg said. “We talked about starting out with him being careful about his minutes. There’s no hard number, per se. We just have to be smart about this as he works his way back into playing shape, especially the back-to-back here in his first stint. So he’ll go out and probably play 15-20 minutes tonight. It could be different depending on the flow of the game, but he’s excited to be back and we’re excited to have him out there.”
It has been an eventful few months for Mirotic, who reached restricted free agency for the first time in July, and had hoped to sign a lucrative new deal. After spending several months on the open market though, the 26-year-old settled for a two-year, $25MM deal with the Bulls. That’s certainly not bad money, but with only the first year’s salary guaranteed, it’s less than what Mirotic had hoped for.
After re-signing with the Bulls, Mirotic appeared poised to open the season as the team’s starting power forward, but an altercation with teammate Bobby Portis prior to opening night hospitalized Mirotic, who was on the receiving end of a Portis punch. The blow resulted in a concussion and multiple facial fractures for Mirotic, as well as an eight-game suspension for Portis.
While Mirotic and Portis appear to have made amends – at least enough to coexist on the court and the bench – it’s still worth keeping an eye on Mirotic’s play over the next several weeks. The sharpshooting power forward becomes eligible to be traded on January 15, and it seems unlikely that he and the Bulls have a long-term future. If he plays well, Mirotic should draw some interest around the NBA prior to the February 8 trade deadline.