RealGM Basketball Wiretap

04 December 2025

• Noa Essengue To Miss Remainder Of Season With Shoulder Injury

  Chicago Bulls rookie forward Noa Essengue will miss the remainder of the regular season due to a left shoulder injury. Essengue was injured in a recent G League game and was initially diagnoses with a shoulder contusion. Now, it turns out that Essengue needs shoulder surgery and will be out for six to seven months.

  The injury brings a disappointing early end to Essengue's rookie season. The 6-foot-8 forward was the 12th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Essengue appeared in just two NBA games, totaling only six minutes this season.

  In four G League games with the Windy City Bulls, Essengue averaged 23 points, 8.2 rebounds and a steal and a block per game. The still 18-years-old native of France is expected to be ready for the start of next season's training camp.

• Bulls Model Offense After Pacers' Fast-Paced System

  The Chicago Bulls transformed their offensive system after studying the Indiana Pacers' run to the NBA Finals last season. Billy Donovan implemented a 14-second shot clock during player-driven workouts in Miami before training camp to accelerate the team's pace. The Bulls jumped from 28th in the NBA in pace in 2023-24 to second in 2024-25.

  "They stole our mojo," a Pacers team source told ESPN. "They said before the season they were going to emulate our play style. Giddey playing the role as Tyrese. The fast pace, the late-game comebacks, wearing teams down."

  The Bulls looked at their final 20 games of last season when they went 14-6. They then studied the Pacers' roster construction and playing style built around multiple ball handlers and ball movement. Chicago saw a blueprint for what they could become if they followed the same course.

  "That's who we have to be," Donovan said. "We have to be better than the sum of our parts."

  Chicago acquired Josh Giddey from Oklahoma City in June 2024 to serve as the engine of their new system. The Bulls envisioned Giddey playing a similar role to Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton as a pass-first playmaker. Multiple Bulls team sources acknowledged the similarities between what they are building and Indiana's construction.

  However, sources cited two key differences between the franchises. The Pacers played stingier defense, ranking 13th in defensive efficiency last season. Indiana also paired a second star, Pascal Siakam, alongside Haliburton to reach the Finals.

  "They have Haliburton, who is an All-Star, and they have Siakam," one Bulls source told ESPN. "If Giddey can develop into an All-Star and be what Hali was, when do we pull the trigger to get our Siakam?"

  Giddey is nearly averaging a triple-double this season with 20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 9.3 assists. He is shooting a career-best 39.2 percent from three-point range. Chicago has eight players averaging double figures and ranks second in bench scoring.

  The Bulls started 6-1 this season with a top-10 pace and ranked seventh in offense and 10th in defense. Since then they have fallen to 9-10 and rank 23rd in both offense and defense. Chicago is giving up an average of 56.5 points in the paint during that stretch, third-most in the NBA.

  "If you look at the teams, it's similar personnel," Giddey told ESPN. "Tyrese obviously is an unbelievable player, but they don't have that one superstar. They've got a lot of really, really solid, good players. They defend collectively, and that's an area we need to get better at."

  Donovan emphasized that Indiana's physicality on defense often gets overlooked in discussions about their pace. The Bulls coach said Chicago's defensive evolution must continue to match what the Pacers accomplished. The team finished with an identical 39-43 record last season despite the pace transformation.

• Bulls Have Had Internal Discussions About Trading For Anthony Davis

  The Chicago Bulls have held internal discussions about acquiring Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis, sources told ESPN. However, team sources said the Bulls will not sacrifice any of their young core to execute such a deal until the team is closer to contention. The Bulls believe Davis could help their rim protection and defensive interior issues.

  Davis is from Chicago and the Bulls have three players on the roster who grew up in the area. Ayo Dosunmu, Jevon Carter and Matas Buzelis are all from the Chicago region, which sources indicated is not a coincidence. The Bulls view their local connections as valuable assets in building the franchise.

  "I don't think going out and chasing X megastar is the way to proceed -- at least today," one source told ESPN.

  Chicago owns its first-round draft picks for the next seven years plus an additional 2026 top-14-protected first from Portland. The Bulls can trade up to five first-round picks and five second-round picks. The team could have close to $70 million in cap room next offseason, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

  Chicago still sees Josh Giddey, Coby White and Matas Buzelis as its future core, team sources said. Rookie Noa Essengue, the No. 12 pick in the 2025 draft who does not turn 19 until later this month, is also viewed as part of that foundation. The Bulls know they need to continue adding to that core and are prepared to do so.

• Coby White To Make Season Debut Sunday Night

  Chicago Bulls guard Coby White will make his season debut on Sunday night. White will play his return to the Bulls lineup at the Utah Jazz. White will be on a minutes restriction and will not play back-to-back games in this initial part of his return.

  The Bulls combo guard had a lengthy recovery from a strained calf that he suffered in the leadup to the season. White was Chicago's leading scorer last season at 20.4 points per game. White also averaged 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and nearly a steal per game.

• Anthony Davis Could Have Interest In Playing For Bulls

  John Wall gave some intel on a possible next team for Anthony Davis when he was a recent guest on FanDuel TV's Run It Back. Wall said that it's been floating around that Davis would like to play for his hometown Chicago Bulls, if he's traded from the Dallas Mavericks.

  "You can't believe everything you hear on the news, but you be hearing that he wants to go back to Chicago and see what's going on," Wall said. "So, I think they're trying to blow it up and build around Cooper Flagg and get rid of some of the other pieces, but they are one of those dark horse teams if they can stay healthy - keep AD there and let Kyrie come back. I feel like they could've been a team in the West, but I think with Nico Harrison's firing they might end up going in a different direction."

  Davis makes $54.1 million this season, and the Mavericks are tight against their second-apron hard cap. The Bulls could offer long-term salary relief by building a trade package around the expiring contracts of Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Hurter, Zach Collins and others.

• Kevin Huerter Hopes To Stay With Bulls

  Kevin Huerter has found a fit with the Chicago Bulls. Huerter enjoys the team's style of play and his role within the team's rotation. That has the veteran wing hoping that Chicago will be a long-term home for him.

  "The energy since I've gotten here hasn't been, 'Hey, we're looking to take a step back.' It's been, 'We're going to retool and keep going.' I want to be in an organization that wants to do that, and we as players all have a piece in that," Huerter said. "I love the way we play here. It's a fun brand and good energy to be a part of, and I feel like I'll have a piece in that success and I'll have a piece in the failure if it goes that way at this point."

  Huerter has had a key role off the Bulls bench this season. The eight-year veteran has averaged 13.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 25.1 minutes per game.
• Coby White Nearing Return For Bulls

  The Chicago Bulls have been one of the surprise teams of the first two weeks of the NBA season. Chicago has gotten off to a 6-1 start. Even more surprising is that Bulls have done so without Coby White. And now, White is nearing a return.

  White suffered a calf injury during the leadup to the season. He then suffered a setback with the calf ahead of the season. But White is ramping up and could return in mid-November.

  Bulls coach Billy Donovan and White have both talked about him doing more in practice, with eyes on a three-day stretch of practices next week. The team seems to be aiming for a return for White when the Bulls begin a three-game road trip on November 16.

• Josh Giddey On Bulls' 5-0 Start: 'There's Different Guys Making Plays & Stepping Up'

  Josh Giddey finished with a career-high 32 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in the Chicago Bulls' 135-125 win over the New York Knicks on Friday night.

  The Bulls are now 5-0 for the first time since the 1996-97 season.

  "We feel good as a group of where we're at right now, but there's a long way to go," Giddey said following the win. "Every night there's different guys making plays and stepping up. We've got a bunch of guys -- six, seven guys averaging double figures. That kind of speaks volumes to how deep we are as a team and the impact we're getting across the board."

  Six Bulls players finished in double figures, with the team recording 31 assists on 45 field goals.

  Giddey is averaging 22 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 8 assists on the year.

  Billy Donovan credited the team's chemistry for the fast start.

  "The mentality that they believe, which I think is very, very powerful, I think when there's belief, it's really, really powerful," said Donovan. "There's good connection. They've got good relationships. They all can talk to each other. I think there's a lot of positive things that they have that really go into winning.

• Zach LaVine Following Loss To Bulls: 'I'll Continue To Be A Fan Of This Team'

  Zach LaVine expressed his appreciation for the Chicago Bulls organization and the city of Chicago following the Sacramento Kings' 126-113 loss to the Bulls on Wednesday night.

  LaVine finished the game with 30 points.

  "I know I did a lot of good in Chicago," LaVine said after the game. "I just wish I could have won more here."

  LaVine received a standing ovation following a tribute in the first quarter.

  The Bulls went 174-242 during LaVine's time with the team, making the playoffs once.

  "Sometimes you do the best you can," he said. "None of us try to lose, but you played the cards that you're dealt, and you play them to the best of your ability. I feel like I did that. I appreciate each and every moment that I've had here. I'll continue to be a fan of this team and this organization unless I'm playing against them. It's nothing but love for me."

  The Bulls are now 4-0 for the first time since 2021, a team that featured LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball.

• Coby White Out At Least Two More Weeks With Calf Strain

  Coby White will be out at least two more weeks as he ramps up his basketball activities following a right calf strain. White suffered the injury during an offseason workout in August and practiced for the first time on Saturday since the start of training camp.

  The Chicago Bulls were initially expecting White to be ready for the start of the season.

  White averaged 20.4 points and 4.5 assists last season. White is entering the final season of his three-year, $36 million contract. White is unlikely to sign an extension and instead become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.