Bulls Sign Former Local Star in Free Agency

The Chicago Bulls entered a new era this offseason. Despite the unfortunate fact that they weren't able to move on from Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls have finally embraced the rebuild. As part of that process, they are signing young players with upside. Their latest signing may be a familiar name for Illinoisans.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Bulls signed Illinois native E.J. Liddell. The former Ohio State star who spent the first two seasons of his career with the Pelicans will try to establish his career in his hometown team.

NFL News: Bulls Sign EJ Liddell

Liddell was a consensus four-star recruit and was considered the best player in the state of Illinois. He won back-to-back Illinois Mr. Basketball awards in 2018 and 2019 before committing to Ohio State. The 6-foot-7 power forward spent three productive seasons at Ohio State, averaging 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.6 blocks per game in his junior and final year.

His NBA career so far has been defined by misfortune. Only a few weeks after being drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2022, he tore his ACL, missing the entirety of his rookie season. He made his return to the court for the 2023-24 season but wasn't able to crack the rotation in the crowded Pelicans roster. He spent the majority of the season down in the G League, putting up 17.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.7 assists per game in 26.5 minutes of action.

Liddell is still only 23 years old and gets an excellent opportunity to show what he can do in Chicago. He will be competing with Patrick Williams, rookie Matas Buzelis, and new addition Jalen Smith for minutes but he should be able to carve himself a role among that group.

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