Bulls players dealing with the aftermath of the deadline roster purge

NEW YORK — The players shipped out last week in the Bulls’ trade-deadline purge certainly weren’t the only ones affected, as the locker room changed almost overnight.

Coach Billy Donovan admitted being “a little sensitive” to the emotions that second-year forward Matas Buzelis was going through after losing a handful of veteran mentors who had helped him in his first year-plus in the NBA.

“It’s the first time he’s gone through it,” Donovan said. “I talked to him [over the weekend] about that, and I think he was still digesting that, quite honestly. Last year after the trade deadline, you had the All-Star break, the rest of that year, the whole summer where you’re with these guys. I think he got a taste of ‘This is a business.’ . . . [But] as much as he understands the business side of it, it’s a little bit different for him. That speaks to the relationship he had with all those guys.”

Buzelis downplayed his emotions.

“It’s tough after first hearing [the news], but I’m a guy that lives in the present, and unfortunately that happened to our team,” he said. “I wish all the best for those guys that moved forward, and that’s just what it is. You have to focus on the next day. Fortunately, I’ve had to wipe it out of my memory, and that’s just how I was trained when I was younger.”

The Bulls were one of the busiest teams at the deadline, waiving guard Jevon Carter and trading center Nikola Vucevic (Celtics), guard Coby White (Hornets), guard Ayo Dosunmu and forward Julian Phillips (Timberwolves), guard/forward Kevin Huerter (Pistons) and guard/forward Dalen Terry (Knicks, later to Pelicans, who waived him).

Donovan admitted to feelings of his own once the dust settled.

“First guy I [would] see when I walk in [the locker room] is [Vucevic],” Donovan said. “And he’s not there.”

Breaking their way?

The Bulls still are without guards Josh Giddey and Tre Jones (injured left hamstrings) and bigs Zach Collins (toe) and Jalen Smith (right calf).

There’s a good chance, though, that Giddey and Jones will be back soon after the All-Star break. Donovan said both have been playing three-on-three ball and running in full. The Bulls are being extra cautious with them, which is easier since they now have a bunch of new guards who need minutes as part of the evaluation process.

The news wasn’t as good for the bigs. Collins has spent time on an anti-gravity treadmill but is still in a walking boot. Smith is still dealing with tightness in the calf.

More leeway for the new guy

Donovan has used tough love with Buzelis but seems to be leaning toward a more hands-off coaching approach with newly acquired guard Rob Dillingham, the No. 8 overall pick by the Spurs in 2024.

Dillingham said he’s being allowed to play through mistakes.

“It’s really about making it a gritty game, and if you mess up, you mess up, but just play fast,” Dillingham said of the message from Donovan. “That’s what Coach wants, and he reassured me of that for sure.”