Chicago Bulls waive Marko Simonovic

It’s the end of the road for Marko in Chicago.

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

After a couple of years of waiting for him to develop, the Chicago Bulls are giving up on big man Marko Simonovic, with Shams Charania of The Athletic reporting that the team is waiving the 23-year-old. The Bulls picked Simonovic 44th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. A year later, the 6-foot-11 big man came over and was signed to a three-year deal.

Not yet ready for the big league

Simonovic played a total of 16 games across two seasons and didn’t give the Bulls any substantial reasons to give him a second or third look. He played a little over three minutes per game and averaged less than two points and a rebound per outing. Even worse, he just couldn’t find his mark, making just 28 percent of his attempts, including a dismal 22 percent from beyond the arc.

The Chicago Bulls are waiving center Marko Simonovic, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Simonovic appeared in 16 games since signing with Bulls on multiyear deal in 2021.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2023

G League stints

His stints in the G League where he suited up for the Windy City Bulls, though, were a lot more productive. He played in 53 games, starting 50 of them, and averaged 16.5 points on 52 percent shooting, along with 9.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

The NBA Draft is always a tricky exercise, and several current players who are thriving with their respective squads were picked after Simonovic. This includes Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Joe and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kenyon Martin Jr.