Joel Lorenzi’s latest look at the Bulls’ summer sheds some light on two of the names that kept popping up around Chicago: Bennedict Mathurin and Jonathan Kuminga.
The Mathurin buzz, Lorenzi writes, was bigger than the reality. He reiterates his previous reporting that the Bulls’ interest in the former sixth overall pick was overstated.
Part of the reason was fit - Mathurin’s game, Lorenzi explains, wasn’t “particularly additive” to Chicago’s roster. There also appears to have been a line the Bulls never wanted to cross on contract terms.
Lorenzi points to the two-year deal Mathurin signed with the Pelicans, which includes a second-year player option, as a “level of commitment the Bulls never seemed willing to reach.”
The Kuminga pursuit sounds more genuine. Lorenzi says Chicago’s interest in the former Warrior was real, and he notes that head of basketball operations Bryson Graham was in Atlanta’s front office when the Hawks acquired Kuminga at last season’s trade deadline.
Even so, the Bulls weren’t prepared to make him a central promise. A source told The Athletic that Chicago would not guarantee Kuminga a regular starting spot or late-game closing role, and the team still would have put a premium on developing young forwards Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis.
Kuminga ultimately chose a Timberwolves offer that gave him a shot to win a starting job on a team with championship aspirations.
Around the Central, the Cavaliers came away from the summer with an ESPN grade of B from Zach Kram. Cleveland gave up depth, but it also stayed out of tax apron territory while re-signing James Harden and adding Peyton Watson, a wing Kram views as a possible impact piece.
In ESPN’s offseason recap and season preview, Kram singled out third-year swingman Jaylon Tyson as the Cavs’ X factor for 2026/27. Tyson is expected to step into a major rotation role after the departures of Keon Ellis, Dean Wade, Dennis Schröder, and Max Strus.
ESPN’s insiders also handed the Pacers a B-minus for a summer that largely centered on adding Kelly Oubre Jr. and swapping Micah Potter for Larry Nance Jr. Indiana had already gotten a jump on the offseason by trading for Ivica Zubac at the 2026 in-season deadline, and Kram sees the new starting center as the team’s biggest X factor heading into the next season.
In Detroit, Steve Scalzi is moving from the Pistons’ bench to the head seat with the Motor City Cruise. The Pistons announced that Scalzi, who spent the past three seasons as an assistant on Detroit’s staff, has been named head coach of the G League affiliate.
He replaces Jamelle McMillan, who had coached the NBAGL club for the last three seasons. The Cruise also issued a farewell statement thanking McMillan for his work with the team.
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Cavs Wing Depth Problem Opens A Real Opportunity For Mario Hezonja
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Hezonja arrives with a resume that is more than just a flyer from overseas. He was one of the top scorers for Real Madrid in La Liga, where he also earned league MVP honors, and he has remained an important piece for Croatia in FIBA World Cup qualifying. For the Cavs, the appeal is obvious: if he translates that production to the NBA level, a thin position group could quickly turn into a real chance to stick. [Read more 🡒]
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Hezonjas date arrives in mid-November, creating an early fork in the road for a front office that tends to keep an eye on every bit of roster and salary-cap maneuvering. Porters guarantee date comes later in January, which gives the Cavs a little more time to weigh the picture, but also means the decisions around both players could linger as Cleveland tries to balance present depth with future flexibility. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Two-Way Battle Could Create An Unexpected Rotation Push
The Cavaliers two-way situation has quietly become one of the more interesting small stories of the preseason, with Riley Minix, Tristan Enaruna and rookie Ernest Udeh Jr. all trying to carve out a path. Minix and Enaruna have both put together strong showings in the G-League, even if that production has not yet translated into much NBA impact, while Udeh brings a different appeal as a big man whose size, rebounding and shot-blocking give him a clearer lane to help if he can keep developing.
Cleveland still has room to sort through how it wants to use those spots, and that leaves some uncertainty hanging over the group as camp moves along. Udeh is expected to get chances in the preseason to show he can be more than a long-term project, while the rest of the battle may come down to whether the Cavaliers want to keep their current mix intact or make a change as they finalize the last two-way opening. [Read more 🡒]