The Chicago Bulls are working with the NBA on an exit strategy for guard Jaden Ivey, according to a league source, after a brief, injury-riddled stint with the team and a run of combustible social media posts. It is a swift reversal for a player Chicago brought in at the trade deadline hoping he could inject more juice into an already crowded young backcourt.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday that team officials had grown exasperated after Ivey’s latest posts, including a line that read, “The world proclaims LGBTQ… 'come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness.'” According to the Sun-Times, league sources said Chicago was working on an exit strategy as of Monday afternoon.
Ivey joined the Bulls on Feb. 3 at the trade deadline in a three-team deal that sent Kevin Huerter and Dario Šarić to Detroit, a move reflected in the Bulls' official game notes. He entered the league as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, as listed on his NBA player profile at NBA.com.
His on-court run in Chicago barely got started. Ivey appeared in just four games before being shut down with left-knee soreness and placed under re-evaluation, following a broken left fibula and previous knee surgery that had already limited him last season. Coverage of his status and re-evaluation timeline surfaced in late February and March, with Athlon Sports noting the patellofemoral knee soreness that kept him sidelined and cut short Chicago’s chance to see what he could do.
What The Team Can Do Next
The Bulls now face several potential paths: they could try to trade Ivey, negotiate a buyout if both sides are willing, or simply waive him if the circumstances line up. The contract details make any quick solution tricky. Ivey is a restricted free agent this summer and, as previously reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls would keep matching rights once negotiations are allowed to open on June 30, a factor that could shape how any exit is structured.
Roster Implications And PR Risk
All of this is unfolding on the heels of a busy deadline in which Chicago reshuffled its backcourt and piled up guards. National trade trackers noted the Bulls’ aggressive approach and the resulting logjam in the guard rotation, which left limited minutes to evaluate Ivey in the first place, a backdrop that may nudge the team toward a faster decision. NBC Sports
For now, talks about an exit strategy remain ongoing, and it is not yet clear whether a trade, buyout, or waiver will emerge as the final outcome. This story will be updated if the Bulls, the league or Ivey issue official statements.
