Revisiting the rumors that linked Bykov to Benedict Maturin and Jonathan Cumming before they signed with New Orleans and Minnesota, respectively, The Athletic’s Joel Lorenzi reiterated that Chicago’s interest in Maturino was overblown, as he reported earlier.
Maturin’s style of play wasn’t a “special addition” to the Bulls’ roster, Lorenzi explains, and it appears Chicago may not have wanted to offer the former sixth overall pick a multi-year guarantee either. Lorenzi calls the two-year deal Maturin signed with the Pelicans, which includes a second-year player option, “a level of commitment the Bulls never wanted to reach.”
However, Chicago’s interest in Cuminga was more legitimate, Lorenzi wrote, noting that the head of the basketball department Bryson Graham was in Atlanta’s front office when the Hawks acquired the former Warrior last season.
Still, the Bulls weren’t ready to commit to Cummings being a regular starter or closer, a source told The Athletic, and the team would continue to prioritize developing young forwards Caleb Wilson and Matas Bouzelis. In the end, Cumingo chose the Timberwolves’ offer, which gave him a chance to earn a starting role on a team with championship aspirations.
Here are some more notes from Central:
- The Cavaliers sacrificed depth this summer, but managed to get out of tax apron territory during the re-signing James Harden and the addition of a potential impact wing Peyton Watsonso they got a B grade ESPN’s Zach Crum for their work in the offseason. In ESPN’s Cavs offseason recap and season preview, Crum also defines the third-year swingman Jaylon Tyson as the team’s X-factor in the 2026/27 season. Tyson is believed to play a key role in the rotation after his departure Keon Ellis, Dean Wade, Dennis Schroederand Max Strus.
- ESPN Basketball Insiders are also covered Pacers‘ offseason in their current streak, and Crum is giving the team a B-minus grade for the summer, which essentially meant adding Kelly Oubre Jr and replacement Micah Potter with Larry Nance Jr The front office got a head start in the offseason by trading for Ivitsa Zubak in 2026, and Indiana’s new starting center will be the biggest X-factor for the club next season, according to Krum.
- Steve Scalziwho spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach at the Pistonsstaff, has been named head coach of the Motor City Cruise team, Detroit’s G League affiliate reported in the press release. Skalci will be replaced Jamel McMillanwho has coached the NBAGL club for the past three seasons. Cruz issued a farewell statement to McMillan, thanking him for his contributions (Link to Twitter).