Chicago Bulls center Zach Collins will undergo season-ending toe surgery, and guard Jaden Ivey will be reevaluated in two weeks with left knee soreness, the team announced Saturday morning.
Collins’ season has long been trending this way. He last suited up Dec. 27 against Milwaukee, producing a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in 24 minutes. Collins spent weeks in a boot, and when the Bulls visited Milwaukee days before the trade deadline, coach Billy Donovan acknowledged the possibility of Collins’ lingering toe issues sidelining him for the remainder of the season.
The 28-year-old center appeared in just 10 games this season, making his season debut Dec. 5 after undergoing a procedure for a fractured wrist in October. The Bulls went 6-4 with him in the lineup. Newcomers Nick Richards and Guerschon Yabusele slot in behind Collins at center.
Ivey’s update comes two days after he was held out of a 110-101 loss to the Toronto Raptors, which interim coach Wes Unseld Jr. stated was his decision. Following the game, Ivey told reporters that he was told his lingering knee soreness was a variable in the decision.
At the time, Ivey minimized the impact of the knee soreness on his availability, and Donovan, upon returning to practice Friday after attending services for his late father, held a similar sentiment.
“I don’t know how much it’s affecting him,” Donovan said. “He was definitely available to play. Nothing’s kept him out with his knee.”
Ivey missed practice Friday to get it checked out before being listed as questionable with “left patellofemoral pain syndrome,” which the team is now designating as left knee soreness.
Ivey had arthroscopic knee surgery on his right knee in October, seven months after suffering a broken fibula.
Chicago will host the Detroit Pistons Saturday in the second game of a seven-game homestand. Ivey’s timeline has him set to be reevaluated midway through the Bulls’ West Coast road trip, which could delay Ivey’s absence.
Ivey, acquired during the team’s trade deadline fire sale, joined an incredibly crowded guard room. Among the newcomers in the backcourt, he’s the only restricted free agent.
The Bulls have lost 10 of their past 11 games, including five consecutive losses since the deadline.