According to an official announcement made by the team, the Chicago Bulls have signed big man Derrick Favors to a training camp contract. Favors was the third overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, selected over guys like DeMarcus Cousins (fifth), Gordon Hayward (ninth), and Paul George (10th).
The 6-foot-9 center is 32 years old, and last appeared in an NBA game with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2021-22 season. That year, he played in 39 games, starting 18 of them, and averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 51.6% from the field. Favors joined the Atlanta Hawks on a 10-day contract in January of last season but never appeared in a game.
In all likelihood, Favors’ training camp deal will lead to him joining the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G League affiliate. However, this could be an intriguing situation to watch.
OFFICIAL: We have signed center Derrick Favors and forward Kahlil Whitney to camp contracts. pic.twitter.com/1huc9xguiu
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 17, 2023
As things stand, the Bulls only have two big men on the main roster – Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond. Rookie Adama Sanogo is also on the team, but he’s on a two-way contract.
Vucevic played in all 82 games last season, and Drummond has played in over 65 games in each of the past two years, but that’s still not a lot of depth at the five.
Favors isn’t a great fit for what the Bulls should be looking for. For a team that desperately needs help on the offensive end, he’s a guy who doesn’t shoot threes and has never been a great scorer. That said, he’s been an effective backup big in the past and could be a decent enough failsafe option.
Should Vucevic or Drummond miss time, Sanogo should be next up to get minutes at the center position, but having Favors in the G League is a smart backup plan.
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