Roster Moves: Trentyn Flowers added to Bulls on a two-way deal |
Dustin Riese
· · 4 hours ago
In case you have missed it, there have been several roster moves surrounding the Bulls organization the past few days, and not all of them have been positive. Starting with the negatives, both Coby White and Zach Collins are expected to miss several games to start the season, thus putting the Bulls shorthanded to begin the season.
That is never a spot you want to be in, but when you look at how demanding the Bulls ' early-season schedule is, losing your leading scorer from a season ago is going to be tough to overcome, as several players will be forced to step up. With those two out of the lineup, look for some of the Bulls' two-way players to be called up to fill their roster spots, as Chicago needs as many bodies as possible right now. Speaking of two way deals, there was a move regarding a two-way contract as Summer League star and fan favorite Yuki Kawamura has been waived and released from his two-way deal, and will now need to decide on his future. This is one of those tough moves that isn't time-based but more of an issue he can't control, as Kawamura has been dealing with some undisclosed lower leg pain. That alone put his availability to start the season into question and thus forced the Bulls to waive him from his two-way deal. There is a chance that if everything checks out with Kawamura and his leg, he could be added back to the Windy City roster, but for now, the damage has been done, as he, along with the Bulls, will await word on his future. With his release, the Bulls had an opening for a two-way deal, and many thought it would go to the recently added Mac McClung, who will also be part of the Windy City roster this season. As likely as an option as that would be, the Bulls went in a different direction and have signed Trentyn Flowers to a two-way contract, thus taking the contract previously occupied by Kawamura. For those unfamiliar with Flowers, he is listed as an SF, but has primarily played the Wing position using his 6-7 frame to become a versatile piece both on the offensive and defensive end of the floor. Entering his second year in the league after spending his rookie season on a two-way deal with the Clippers, Flowers did manage to appear in six NBA games last season, but with only 27 total minute,s there wasn't much production that came with it. However, the numbers he put up in the G-League are promising, and with EJ Liddell no longer with Windy City, the hope for Flowers is that he can take over the role Liddell had last season and potentially work his way into the rotation at some point. In 42 combined G-League games last season, Flowers was not only a productive player but someone the Clippers organization could also count on. He averaged (30.7 MPG) with San Diego, Flowers averaged 17.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.9 APG, with a shooting line of .475/.385/.740. The near 40% from distance is worth noting as the Bulls need more perimeter shooting, so getting him inside the organization gives the Bulls another deep threat they could potentially use at specific points in the season. The Clippers tendered Flowers a two-way qualifying offer in June, which he quickly accepted, locking in a partial guarantee worth $85,300. However, the 20-year-old was cut a few days ago and cleared waivers, making him an unrestricted free agent. Chicago currently has 17 bodies under contrac,t which will go to 18 once the deal for Flowers is accepted.
