After losing rookie Noa Essengue to a season-ending injury, the Chicago Bulls were reportedly granted a disabled player exception, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan announced on Dec. 3 that Essengue would undergo surgery in the “near future” to address a left shoulder injury. The decision was made to have surgery now to allow for a full recovery for next season, with an expected rehabilitation time of 6-7 months.
Advertisement
The team was reportedly granted a $2.7 million exception by the NBA, giving the front office some financial flexibility to potentially add a player via signing, trade or waiver claim by March 10, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Essengue was the 12th pick in the draft after averaging 10.7 points, five rebounds and 1.2 assists on 52.1% shooting from the field last season with ratiopharm Ulm in the German League. He registered seven 20-point games, including a 22-point, 14-rebound performance on June 1.
The Frenchman was out of the rotation to begin the season, totaling only six minutes across two appearances with Chicago. Donovan has used a 9-10 man rotation for much of the early going, leaving Essengue and others out of the fold.
Essengue played four games in the G League with Windy City, averaging 23 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and one steal on 50.8% shooting from the field. He registered three 20-point games, including a 27-point, 10-rebound effort on Nov. 26.
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Bulls news: Team granted disabled player exception for Noa Essengue