{"id":94689,"date":"2024-09-07T13:20:34","date_gmt":"2024-09-07T17:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=94689"},"modified":"2024-09-07T13:20:34","modified_gmt":"2024-09-07T17:20:34","slug":"chicago-bulls-sign-physical-forward-with-illinois-ties-ej-liddell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/07\/chicago-bulls-sign-physical-forward-with-illinois-ties-ej-liddell\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Bulls Sign Physical Forward With Illinois Ties"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/04\/nba-champion-agrees-to-contract-with-rebuilding-bulls\/\" target=\"_self\">Chicago Bulls<\/a> are reportedly adding to their roster less than a month before the beginning of training camp. And, for Bulls fans, this could be one of the more intriguing additions the team made this offseason. According to HoopsHype&#8217;s Michael Scotto, the Bulls have signed power forward and Illinois native <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/liddeej01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">EJ Liddell<\/a>. Currently, it is unknown what the details of the contract are.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Chicago Bulls have agreed to a deal with EJ Liddell, league sources told <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hoopshype?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@hoopshype<\/a>. Liddell, an Illinois native, played for the New Orleans Pelicans last season and was the No. 41 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NmFyy6sTZA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/NmFyy6sTZA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeAScotto\/status\/1832451043780923409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 7, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/26\/new-orleans-pelicans-offseason-a-review-to-date\/\" target=\"_self\">New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> drafted the Ohio State alum with the 41st pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. However, due to an ACL injury, Liddell missed his entire rookie season. The forward made his debut in 2023 with the team, but he had a very minor role. In eight total games, Liddell averaged just 2.9 minutes. Liddell did, however, showcase his talents with the Birmingham Squadron of the G League. In 26 games in Birmingham, Liddell averaged 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.8 blocks. He also shot 50.9% from the field.<\/p>\n<h2>Chicago Bulls Sign Physical Forward With Illinois Ties<\/h2>\n<h3>EJ Liddell&#8217;s Wild Offseason So Far<\/h3>\n<p>Early in the offseason, the Pelicans traded Liddell after two seasons with the team. In a package deal along with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/daniedy01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dyson Daniels<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/z\/zelleco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cody Zeller<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=nancela01,nancela02&amp;search=Larry+Nance&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Larry Nance<\/a> Jr., the Pelicans traded Liddell to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/29\/nba-trade-grades-hawks-deal-dejounte-murray-to-pelicans-as-atlanta-re-tools\/\" target=\"_self\">Atlanta Hawks<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murrade01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dejounte Murray<\/a>. However, roughly a month later, the Hawks traded Liddell to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/28\/kevin-garnett-makes-bold-claim-about-phoenix-suns-devin-booker\/\" target=\"_self\">Phoenix Suns<\/a> in exchange for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/roddyda01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Roddy<\/a>. Nearly a month after that, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/21\/phoenix-suns-waive-two-young-forwards\/\" target=\"_self\">the Suns released Liddell<\/a>. In the span of one offseason, Liddell is now a part of his fourth NBA franchise after signing with the Bulls.<\/p>\n<p>Liddell has a lot of potential, but it seems unlikely he will play any type of consistent role this season. This is true even on a team like the Bulls, who have experienced a lot of roster turnover this summer. Regardless, this is a textbook low-risk, high-reward move for both sides. The Bulls will likely keep Liddell in the G League at the most. However, if he can showcase his talents with any level of consistency, the Bulls may be inclined to give him a larger role.<\/p>\n<h3>The Bulls Will Look Different in 2024-25<\/h3>\n<p>After missing the playoffs for two consecutive years, the Bulls committed to re-tooling their roster this summer. Most notably, the team lost <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/derozde01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DeMar DeRozan<\/a> via a sign-and-trade to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/26\/kings-domantas-sabonis-dissects-malik-monk-demar-derozan-moves\/\" target=\"_self\">Sacramento Kings<\/a>. Additionally, the Bulls lost veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/drumman01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andre Drummond<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/21\/philadelphia-76ers-offseason-a-review-to-date\/\" target=\"_self\">Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> and traded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/carusal01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Caruso<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/20\/chicago-bulls-oklahoma-city-thunder-alex-caruso-josh-giddey-trade\/\" target=\"_self\">Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/giddejo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Giddey<\/a>. The team is also expected to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/balllo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lonzo Ball<\/a> back on the court for the first time since 2022.<\/p>\n<p>While there are some notable mainstays, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lavinza01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zach LaVine<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vucevni01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-09-07_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Vucevic<\/a>, it is clear next season will feature a different Bulls team. Considering the team has made the playoffs just one time since 2017, this could prove to be the right call for the Bulls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Chicago Bulls are reportedly adding to their roster less than a month before the beginning of training camp. And, for Bulls fans, this could be one of the more intriguing additions the team made this offseason. According to HoopsHype&#8217;s Michael Scotto, the Bulls have signed power forward and Illinois native EJ Liddell. Currently, it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4631,"featured_media":77302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,8,2,62,3],"tags":[2516],"class_list":["post-94689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-bulls","category-featured","category-nba","category-news","tag-ej-liddell"],"modified_by":"Elie Deglaoui","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4631"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94689\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}