Bulls Reward Rising Star with New Deal

The Chicago Bulls have added former second-round draft pick, forward E.J. Liddell, to a contract.

The details of the deal have yet to be released, but it is likely an Exhibit 10 deal. Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype shared the news via Twitter/X. Liddell joins Talen Horton-Tucker and Kenneth Lofton KJr. to sign a contract with the Bulls in recent weeks. The addition of Liddell brings the Bulls’ offseason roster to 21 players, the maximum number allowed. The Bulls have 14 guaranteed contracts, so if Liddell wants a shot at making the team, he would likely need to pay out of his mind.

The 23-year-old has struggled mightily in his short NBA career, whether that has to do with getting on the court or with staying healthy. The New Orleans Pelicans selected Liddell with the No. 41 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He missed what would have been his rookie season in 2022-23 with a knee injury. After his rookie season, he signed a multi-year deal with New Orleans but played in only eight games with New Orleans last season. In early July 2024, the Pelicans Liddell, along with Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller (via sign-and-trade), a 2025 first-round pick (via Lakers), and a conditional 2027 first-round pick were traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Dejounte Murray. At the end of the month, Liddell was traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for David Roddy, and on Aug. 27, he was released by the Suns.

The former college standout will now do his best to remain in the NBA as he fights for a spot on the Bulls’ roster. If Liddell doesn’t make the regular season roster, he will likely opt for the G League, in which he has experience. In 29 games in the G League last season, Liddell averaged 17.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks while shooting 50.8% from the floor and 27.0% from deep. Before his time in the NBA, Liddell was a standout at Ohio State, averaging 14.1 points per game across 92 college games in his career. As a Buckeye, Liddell was named to the third-team All-American in 2022, first-team All-Big Ten in 2022, Big Ten All-Defensive Team, and second-team All-Big Ten in 2021. The Illinois native was a former four-star recruit coming out of high school and was highly touted in his 2018 class.

The 23-year-old will do his best to make the team, especially considering the type of contract that he signed.