🚨 EXCLUSIVE 🚨 Chicago Bulls Make Bold Moves: Derrick Favors and Kahlil Whitney Join Training Camp Roster!”

With two home preseason games remaining, the Chicago Bulls added two bodies.

The team announced late Monday that it signed Derrick Favors and Kahlil Whitney to training camp contracts.

Favors is an intriguing addition. The 6-foot-10-inch big man is a former No. 3 overall pick who was out of the league last season except for a 10-day contract with Atlanta, where he didn’t play. But he spent 10 of his 12 NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz, where he averaged 11.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. He last played for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021-22, averaging 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 39 games.

Coach Billy Donovan said on Tuesday that Favors is headed to the Windy City Bulls of the G League.

“He’s a veteran guy. I’ve always had respect for him, just being in the West with him for a period of time when he was at Utah,” Donovan said. “I think giving our younger players a veteran, well-respected presence with Windy City will be good. He still loves to play.”

Whitney, a 6-foot-6-inch forward, went undrafted out of Kentucky after growing up in Chicago. He spent last season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League.

The Bulls own two non-guaranteed contracts in guard Carlik Jones and forward Terry Taylor. Though Favors is likely a longshot to make his way to the NBA roster, his size could be beneficial for a guard-heavy roster. Taylor, though younger at 24, is an undersized forward.

The Bulls close their preseason schedule with home games against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.

Every NBA season comes with questions and opportunities, but this season more than most: What will happen with James Harden and the 76ers? Could the Cavaliers be better than the Sixers? Would that make Evan Mobley Defensive Player of the Year or maybe J.B. Bickerstaff for Coach of the Year?

Those outcomes could make a savvy bettor money, so today we break down the coming NBA season with Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) of NBC Sports Bet the Edge. We talk about under/overs we like and how to take advantage of that if you’re really confident a team will comfortably beat the number (as I am with the Raptors).

The Lakers and Warriors will be good, but good enough you trust them to hit the over in a very deep West? Maybe stick with the East for under/overs.

We also talk about how to approach the awards market, as well as the East champion or division champion markets in a way that brings real value. Drew knows his hoops so this is more than a betting conversation but also a good basketball one.

You can listen to the entire podcast below, listen and subscribe via iTunes at ApplePodcasts.com/PBTonNBC, subscribe via the Stitcher app, check us out on Google Play, or anywhere else you get your podcasts.

Billy Donovan pulls Bulls’ Patrick Williams for lack of early energy vs. Raptors

Bulls coach Billy Donovan explains why he sat Patrick Williams at the 9:15 mark against the Raptors on TuesdayBilly Donovan pulls Bulls’ Patrick Williams for lack of early energy vs. Raptors originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Replacing Patrick Williams with Torrey Craig in the first quarter is normal for the Chicago Bulls, allowing Williams to stagger his minutes to play some against the opponent’s second team.

Pulling Williams just 2 minutes, 45 seconds after tipoff, as coach Billy Donovan did in the Bulls’ preseason loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, isn’t normal.

And Donovan confirmed the quick hook resulted from him not liking the way Williams opened the game.

“I just thought there were a lot of opportunities for him to get to the backboard and offensive rebound,” Donovan said. “We talked about it. And I just didn’t like the way we came out. It’s not about him missing or making shots or being aggressive. I think athletically there are things he can get in.

“Like, there was an opportunity on one of the first possessions where he could’ve laid a really good screen. And he tried to slip out of it. We can’t run away from physicality. You’re going to have to lean into it.”

Donovan said he talked to Williams after the early hook. Asked what Donovan’s overall message was, Williams downplayed the exchange. And Donovan later added that the team’s overall lack of energy early can’t solely be pinned on Williams.

Donovan also lauded the way Williams finished the game. He played with much more aggressiveness in the fourth quarter. And working against second- and third-team players, Williams made a strong move to attack the rim before missing a driving layup with the Bulls down by one and 11.5 seconds left.

“As the game wore on, and certainly in the fourth quarter, I thought he was way more aggressive trying to go to the backboard and trying to get to the rim on finishes,” Donovan said. “He took his shots when they were there. That was good.

“Hopefully these are learning experiences for him. Certainly, he has shown he can do it. We’ve got to find a way to continually get that pulled out of him. . . . He’s got to be way more aggressive in some areas.”

Enter Craig, who said the Bulls “are one of the quietest teams” he’s been on, which he added isn’t surprising for a team featuring some young players in the rotation.

The veteran wing has joined DeMar DeRozan in trying to push Williams into reaching his potential. One motivator could be taking his playing time. Craig played 27 minutes to Williams’ 21.

“I stay in his ear, make sure most everything is positive but show tough love when it’s necessary,” Craig said. “I think he did a great job responding when he got back in the game. In the fourth quarter, he was aggressive, getting downhill.”

Craig authored one of the game’s signature plays, chasing down Gary Trent Jr. for a blocked shot on a breakaway dunk attempt.

“The thing with him that we need that’s really good is he does not stop talking,” Donovan said of Craig. “It’s not like he’s instructive or giving direction. He’s very positive on the bench. And he’s constantly communicating on the floor defensively. And he obviously has a high motor and plays with physicality.”

Williams finished with 10 points and three rebounds. He scored 20 points on Sunday in Denver on a night that Donovan rested Zach LaVine, DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.

Williams has said throughout this preseason that becoming more consistent is his main focus this season.

“I might’ve been overthinking there early on,” Williams said. “I think it’s still a work in progress. It’s still preseason. That’s what preseason is for, to find a flow and a feel for the offense and defense. . . . I feel confident where I’m at and what I’ve been able to show, and also the team.”