The Chicago Bulls have been busy with five days between now and their season opener. First, they signed reigning NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Mac McClung to an undisclosed contract, sparking speculation that another roster move was imminent.
Truth be told, more transactions were on the horizon. Then, the Bulls announced they had released two-way point guard Yuki Kawamura, who had been dealing with a right leg injury. Bulls PR confirmed the decision to part ways with the 5-foot-8 guard was due to medical concerns.
However, the Bulls didn’t sign McClung to fill Kawamura’s two-way spot. Instead, Chicago signed him to facilitate his release, allowing the Windy City Bulls to acquire his rights.
In the meantime, following Kawamura’s release, the Bulls signed former Los Angeles Clippers wing Trentyn Flowers to a two-way deal—effectively ending McClung’s stint in Chicago after just a few hours. This move comes three days after the Clippers waived Flowers.
Roster shuffle: Bulls release two players, sign Trentyn Flowers
To summarize: Chicago signed McClung to release him, waived Kawamura to open a two-way spot, and then filled it with Flowers. The Bulls’ roster is now set, with 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals ahead of the regular season.
Flowers joins 25-year-old wing Emanuel Miller and 21-year-old big man Lachlan Olbrich on Chicago’s two-way contracts. Like Miller, Flowers is a 6-foot-7 forward, but the 20-year-old wing plays more like a guard than a big. He can handle the ball and shot 37.2 percent on 5.5 three-point attempts per game last season in the G-League.
Chicago is betting on upside by signing Flowers—one that could ultimately pay off. Once a top recruit in the 2023 class, Flowers initially committed to the University of Louisville before taking his talents to Australia’s National Basketball League. In his lone NBL season, he averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game before declaring for the draft.
Although Flowers was projected as a second-round pick, he went unselected and later signed a two-way deal with the Clippers. He appeared in just six games for LA, spending most of the season with the San Diego Clippers.
Signing Flowers is another example of the Bulls prioritizing wings—a trend that began at the start of the offseason. Chicago has added Isaac Okoro, 12th overall pick Noa Essengue, and now Flowers, bolstering depth at arguably the NBA’s most important position.