Former Chicago Bulls: Isaiah Canaan signs to play overseas in Russia

Isaiah Canaan (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Isaiah Canaan (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Entering the 2020-21 season in Euro Cup, former Chicago Bulls guard Isaiah Canaan will be joining the Russian club UNICS Kazan.

A former Chicago Bulls point guard that played for the team back during the tumultuous 2016-17 regular season, Biloxi, MS, native Isaiah Canaan, appears to have a new contract to play overseas. According to a Euro Hoops report from July 19, former Bulls and Murray State Racers guard Canaan signed with the Russian hoops club UNICS Kazan for the 2020-21 season.

Canaan will apparently be joining UNICS Kazan for runs in the 7DAYS Euro Cup and VTB United League. He signed a 1+1 contract, which will give him his first opportunity to find success overseas. Last season, Canaan mostly spent time in the G-League with the Stockton Kings.

The last NBA contract that Canaan held came with the Milwaukee Bucks throughout the 2018-19 season. He was cut by the Bucks in March 2019. Canaan was a true NBA journeyman throughout his career, which started back during the 2013-14 season.

He was originally selected by the Houston Rockets with the 34th overall pick in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft. The Rockets rostered Canaan for two seasons, before he landed with the Philadelphia 76ers. He would then play in 99 regular season games with the Sixers through the end of the 2015-16 season.

Since the beginning of the 2016-17 season, Canaan spent time with five teams. Those five teams (in chronological order) included the Bulls, Rockets (for a second brief stint), Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Bucks. He only played in four games in the Cream City before he was cut from his last NBA contract.

While playing in 235 career regular season games in the NBA, Canaan averaged 8.1 points per game, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. He shot 37.1 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 83.6 percent from the free-throw line.

In his one season playing in a Bulls uniform, Canaan got action in 39 contests. He averaged 4.6 points per game, 1.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.6 steals, in those 39 games played in the Windy City. He shot 36.4 percent from the field, 26.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line in his Bulls tenure.

The Bulls finished up the 2019-20 regular season, prior to the novel coronavirus-induced hiatus, with a record of 22-43. While the season is still waiting for the restart, with games planned to start on July 30, the Bulls are now officially in their 2020 offseason.