Matas Buzelis Rumors

Joel Lorenzi: Matas Buzelis on IG in light of Bulls waiving Jevon Carter. Very influential vet for him. “He’s not gonna sugarcoat anything,” Buzelis told me earlier this year. “He’s just a real dude. He doesn’t bullshit you. … he’s one of the realest.”

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Per multiple league and agent sources, Chicago is looking to improve postseason chances this season while adding young, athletic players to complement its core duo of Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis.

Bleacher Report

NBA Communications: The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars ⬇️ Tune in to @peacock tomorrow at 7 PM ET to watch honorary coaches Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter draft their teams from the pool of 21 NBA sophomores and rookies. Austin Rivers will serve as the honorary coach of the @nbagleague team.

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Joel Lorenzi: Matas Buzelis says he got invited to do the dunk contest again but declined. “I’m trying to listen to my body,” he said, noting an important stretch coming up. Said he’d love to do it again in the future, though.

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And while he’s not looking to score 26 points every game, like he did against the Celtics, Matas Buzelis agreed this is what his game was supposed to look like in his second season. ‘‘I just go out and hoop, try and be the best player I can be,’’ Buzelis said. ‘‘I play hard, and I believe in our team. It was just a matter of time and patience, just keep grinding. ‘‘Just the comfort level, honestly. It’s only Year 2 for me. That’s not an excuse, but [I’m] still getting comfortable out there going against grown men. It feels like it’s just a matter of time, learning and learning.’’

Chicago Sun-Times

Gavin Dorsey: FINAL: Bulls 121, Magic 114 The Bulls rally from a 13-point deficit to return to .500 with their second consecutive victory! Matas Buzelis led the way with 21 points, nine boards, seven assists and two blocks in a huge performance.

Twitter

Joel Lorenzi: Billy Donovan, asked about his stance on tanking in light of NBA’s potential adjustments to negate it, plainly said of tanking: “All you’re doing is taking a chance that (odds of drafting a player like Wemby, Flagg) may happen.” Talking about the habit building involved with tanking, Donovan referenced Matas Buzelis: “I would sit here and say that letting a guy play through every single mistake is not the best way that’s gonna lead to his development. … Matas is a perfect example of that.”

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That leaves Matas Buzelis, 21, as the power forward by default. It’s not necessarily a bad thing on most nights, but it’s not exactly a matchup coach Billy Donovan looks forward to when the Bulls are taking on people-movers such as Zion Williamson or Julius Randle. “In fairness to Matas, there are matchups that are tough,” Donovan said. “He’s a second-year player that’s only going to get stronger, bigger, and as he matures, those matchups probably will be easier physically. ‘‘When he’s having to go hypothetically against a Julius Randle or an Evan Mobley, those guys are playing close to the basket, and they’re really physical. Those are tough matchups for a second-year player like Matas. So if you can get him to small forward for some of the game — not all of the game — I don’t mind playing Matas with two bigs. I never looked at Matas as a big.”

Chicago Sun-Times

Bulls defeat Cavaliers 136-125 as Cleveland shockingly falls to 15-14. Nikola Vucevic, Matas Buzelis combine for 48 points, 20 rebounds in the win. Darius Garland leads Cleveland with 35 points, eight assists in the defeat.

HoopsHype

Chicago still sees Giddey, Coby White and Matas Buzelis as its future core, team sources said, along with rookie Noa Essengue, the No. 12 pick in the 2025 draft who does not turn 19 until later this month. He debuted last week, the last rookie lottery pick to do so.

ESPN

Julia Poe: Matas Buzelis will play today, per Billy Donovan. Kevin Huerter will “try” but he’s still battling illness. Isaac Okoro, Patrick Williams and Dalen Terry are all out. Those injuries to the forwards mean that Noa Essengue likely makes his debut: “It definitely could happen.”

bsky.app

KC Johnson: Heat 143, Bulls 107 Most points allowed in regulation Only 2nd time opponent bench outscored Bulls Heat 8 in doubles and 44 FTAs Bulls lost Buzelis, Okoro and Terry to injury and Huerter to ejection

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There comes a point in a game where your star has to shine brighter than the other team’s star. Do the Bulls have that dude? Maybe it will be Matas Buzelis, Giddey or even a healthy White. But it’s not clear they have that player now. Is there a trade out there to be made, especially with six players — including White — on expiring contracts? That’s a question executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas will explore. He had better.

Chicago Sun-Times

KC Johnson: Bulls 126, Kings 113 Bulls are 4-0 for first time since 21-22 Buzelis 27 pts Giddey 20 pts, 12 assists, 8 Rebs Vucevic 13 pts, 14 Rebs, 7 assists 6 in doubles; season-high 34 assists LaVine 30 pts

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