Revisiting the rumors that linked the Bulls to Bennedict Mathurin and Jonathan Kuminga before they signed with New Orleans and Minnesota, respectively, Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic reiterates that Chicago’s interest in Mathurin was overstated, as he has previously reported.

Mathurin’s playing style wasn’t “particularly additive” to the Bulls’ roster, Lorenzi explains, and it sounds like Chicago may have also been unwilling to offer the former sixth overall pick a multiyear guarantee. Lorenzi refers to the two-year deal Mathurin signed with the Pelicans, which includes a second-year player option, as a “level of commitment the Bulls never seemed willing to reach.”

Chicago’s interest in Kuminga was more legitimate though, Lorenzi writes, noting that head of basketball operations Bryson Graham was in Atlanta’s front office when the Hawks acquired the former Warrior at last season’s trade deadline.

Still, the Bulls weren’t prepared to promise Kuminga that he’d be a regular starter or closer, a source tells The Athletic, and the team would have continued to prioritize the development of young forwards Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis. Kuminga ultimately opted for a Timberwolves offer that gave him a chance to earn a starting role on a team with championship aspirations.

Here are a few more notes from around the Central:

The Cavaliers sacrificed depth this summer, but they managed to duck out of tax apron territory while re-signing James Harden and adding a potential impact wing in Peyton Watson, so they earned a B grade from ESPN’s Zach Kram for their offseason work. Within ESPN’s Cavs offseason recap and season preview, Kram also identifies third-year swingman Jaylon Tyson as the team’s X factor in 2026/27. Tyson figures to play a key rotation role following the departures of Keon Ellis, Dean Wade, Dennis Schröder, and Max Strus.
ESPN’s basketball insiders also covered the Pacers’ offseason in their ongoing series, with Kram assigning the team a grade of B-minus for a summer that essentially amounted to adding Kelly Oubre Jr. and replacing Micah Potter with Larry Nance Jr. The front office got a head-start on its offseason business by trading for Ivica Zubac at the 2026 in-season deadline, and Indiana’s new starting center will be the club’s biggest X factor for the coming season, in Kram’s view.
Steve Scalzi, who has spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach on the Pistons’ staff, has been named the head coach of the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Scalzi will be replacing Jamelle McMillan, who coached the NBAGL club for the past three seasons. The Cruise put out a farewell statement to McMillan, thanking him for his contributions (Twitter link).