The NBA has granted the Chicago Bulls a $10.2 million disabled player exception for guard Lonzo Ball, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The Bulls applied for the exception following the announcement that Ball would miss the entire 2023-24 season due to an ongoing knee injury that has kept him sidelined for the last 18 months.
With the extra money the Bulls are able to either trade for a player in the final year of their contract, sign a player to a one-year deal or claim someone who was waived. That exception could be used either this summer or during the season. It’s unclear who the Bulls would target with this chunk of change, but it allows them to address some needs before next season, or perhaps wait until the trade deadline to see if more enticing players become available via trade.
With the stalemate that exists in free agency right now due to the trade demands of James Harden and Damian Lillard, it may be better for Chicago to wait and see how those situations shake out before using this exception. The Bulls could even use this to get in on a multi-team trade involving one of those stars to net a role player.
Either way, whenever the Bulls decide to use it, it’s obvious based off of last season’s results of missing the playoffs that this team needs help in a variety of ways. Chicago addressed some of those needs by signing Jevon Carter in free agency to assist with the backcourt void left by Ball, but that alone isn’t the only issue presenting this team. The Bulls severely lacked quality shooting last season, ranking last in the league in 3-point attempts, and have yet to address that problem so far this summer. This exception could help get Chicago a player who can be a reliable 3-point threat so all the weight doesn’t fall on Zach LaVine.