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The Chicago Bulls waived a pair of back-end contracts in second-year swingman Onuralp Bitim and third-year forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. Both players have flashed at times in the preseason. However, the Bulls also got strong contributions from former Los Angeles Lakers wing Talen Horton-Tucker.
Horton-Tucker appears to have a good chance of sticking, particularly with Bitim cut.
“This paves the way for Talen Horton-Tucker to earn the Bulls’ final roster spot,” 670 The Score’s Cody Westerlund posted on X on October 17.
“Bitim had a partial guarantee so Talen Horton-Tucker continues bid for final roster spot,” Chicago Sports Network’s K.C. Johnson posted. “To be clear, Bitim’s partial guarantee didn’t take effect until opening night. Overall point stands: THT is leader in clubhouse for final spot.”
ESPN’s Bobby Marks called the Bulls’ decision before the October 21 roster cutdown deadline.
“The Bulls signed Horton-Tucker to a training camp contract in the offseason,” Marks wrote on October 17. “The five-year veteran scored 16 points in the preseason loss to Memphis, but in order to keep him, Chicago would need to waive Onuralp Bitim. The salary protection for Bitim increases to $350K if he is not waived by Oct. 22.”
Horton-Tucker is on a one-year, $2.4 million contract. He has earned $33.1 million in his five-year career.
Talen Horton-Tucker Brings Consistency & Versatility to Bulls
Horton-Tucker was the No. 46 overall pick by the Orlando Magic in 2019. The Magic traded him to the Lakers on draft night. He spent three seasons in LA, winning a title with the Lakers in 2020 before they traded him to the Utah Jazz for Patrick Beverley in 2022.
The Bulls list Horton-Tucker at 6-foot-4 and 234 pounds. He averaged at least 10.0 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game each season from 2021-22 through 2023-24.
He is strong, which helps him as a cutter and finisher.
Horton-Tucker is also a willing passer, making him a potentially good fit alongside the Bulls’ plethora of perimeter players despite the potential positional redundancy. Horton-Tucker has not been a strong three-point shooter.
He connected on a career-high 33% of his deep looks in 2023-24. He has hit 29.4% from downtown in his career.
Horton-Tucker is versatile, though, logging minutes from point guard to power forward.
Bulls Set to Be Among Smaller Teams in 2024-25
The Bulls have had an issue with size over the past few seasons, and they are once again poised to be one of the smaller teams in 2024-25. They are tied with the Phoenix Suns for the 11th-shortest group, per HispanosNBA.com.
Swapping out the 6-foot-6 Bitim and Lofton – who is similarly built to Horton-Tucker at a listed 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds – only makes the Bulls smaller.
It would be a restrictive decision.
The Bulls already roster 11 players whose primary position is either point guard, shooting guard, or small forward. Conversely, the Bulls have two centers on the roster in Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith.
Vucevic is the tallest, listed at 6-foot-10. That is the same height as Matas Buzelis, the Bulls’ first-round pick in the 2024 draft.
The Bulls ranked 14th in rebounding in 2023-24.
They have ranked second in the 2024 preseason. Greater size on the wings with Buzelis and the return of Lonzo Ball at guard could have a greater positive impact than the lack of size will hurt the Bulls. But that is the risk the current setup takes.
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