Bulls’ Jaden Ivey sidelined for a minimum of two weeks due to left knee discomfort.
CHICAGO — Bulls guard Jaden Ivey will be sidelined for a minimum of two weeks due to soreness in his left knee, while center/forward Zach Collins is set to undergo surgery on his right toe, which will end his season, the team announced on Saturday prior to their matchup against the top-ranked Detroit Pistons.
Ivey, 24, was obtained from Detroit on February 3 as part of a three-team trade just ahead of the deadline as Chicago restructured its roster. The Bulls were optimistic that Ivey would return to the dynamic performance he exhibited before undergoing season-ending surgery for a fractured left fibula in January 2025, followed by an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee in October 2025, which kept him out of the Pistons’ lineup for the initial 15 games of this season.
In his four appearances with the Bulls, Ivey averaged 11.5 points, four assists, and 28.9 minutes. During his 33 games with Detroit this season, he averaged 8.2 points, 1.6 assists, and 16.8 minutes.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan indicated that Ivey had been cleared to play additional minutes upon his arrival in Chicago and did not express any concerns regarding knee discomfort. Ivey will now take the next two weeks to enhance his leg strength before being re-evaluated.
“Certainly when he came here and, you know, he started getting more minutes — in the first few games his minutes were in the 30s — you could just see he wasn’t like stopping, starting. He didn’t have that explosiveness that you saw when you watched him play.”
Donovan mentioned that the Bulls’ medical team conducted assessments on Ivey and concluded that he “just needs to get a lot stronger.”
“I think there’s a feeling that if he can regain some of that strength, then he can return to his previous athletic level,” Donovan stated.
Collins has participated in only 10 games this season with Chicago, averaging 9.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 18.4 minutes. He missed the first 21 games due to a broken bone in his hand and then sustained the toe injury in late December.
“I think it’s been really hard for him personally,” Donovan remarked. “I think he did everything he could. Surgery is always the last resort.”
