Chicago basketball report: Bulls’ Torrey Craig sprains right knee, Sky face final free-agent hurdle with Rebekah Gardner

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The Chicago Bulls are facing another set of availability woes as power forwards Patrick Williams and Torrey Craig struggle with injuries. But the buyout market has not been a successful venture for the front office so far this spring.

After making another trade to acquire the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft, the Chicago Sky face a major question in their free agency process: re-signing utility guard Rebekah Gardner.

Every Wednesday throughout the season, Tribune writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Bulls, Sky and local basketball.

Torrey Craig’s knee injury puts more pressure at power forward

The power forward position remains plagued with injuries for the Bulls.

Torrey Craig sprained his right knee over the All-Star break while training away from the team. He will be re-evaluated in two to four weeks, placing his likely return in mid-March. Craig had already missed 22 games with a plantar fascia sprain in his right foot.

Craig had previously rotated into the starting power forward position in place of Patrick Williams, who is still sidelined with a bone edema in his left foot. Coach Billy Donovan said Williams began light ramp-up activities this week such as marching, but has not been able to return to running yet and is still experiencing some discomfort around the injury. He will not play Thursday and the timeline for his full return to the court is unclear.

“He’s much better than he was,” Donovan said. “When it first happened, he was feeling it walking. He’s beyond that right now. But they’re going to be very, very careful in terms of how much they continue to push through and how much they pull back on him.”

The Bulls typically play Alex Caruso at the power forward position when Williams or Craig is unavailable. With both players sidelined, Caruso will likely shoulder the majority of the workload at the position with assistance from Ayo Dosunmu, who can also provide length as a guard. Donovan has also leaned on a two-big lineup with both centers on the floor to accommodate the roster’s recent loss of size.

Will the Sky re-sign Rebekah Gardner?

Chicago Sky’s Rebekah Gardner battles Indiana Fever’s Grace Berger and Taylor Mikesell for a rebound at Wintrust Arena on Sunday, May 7, 2023. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Few players have provided more bang for the buck over the past decade for the Chicago Sky than Rebekah Gardner.

Former coach James Wade scouted Gardner in Europe, signing the guard to her first full-time WNBA contract at age 31 in 2022. Gardner made an immediate impact on the Sky’s franchise record 26-win season, logging 8.4 points and 1.4 steals off the bench. But she played only three games last season before suffering a knee injury that held her out for the rest of the year.

WNBA offseason tracker: Chicago Sky acquire another 2024 first-round draft pick in trade with Los Angeles Sparks

Gardner was a restricted free agent this summer, but the Sky did not extend her a qualifying offer before Feb. 1, which means she can now sign with any team in the WNBA. The Sky could still negotiate a different contract to bring Gardner back to Chicago. But with the front office refocused on a rebuild, Gardner might no longer make sense as a fit with the new-look roster under coach Teresa Weatherspoon.

Billy Donovan confirms Danilo Gallinari buyout attempt

With the roster thinned out due to injuries, it would be natural for the Bulls to look to the buyout market for assistance. Even including untested youngsters like Julian Phillips and Dalen Terry, the Bulls only have nine of their regular rotational players available at the moment.

Donovan acknowledged that the Bulls previously attempted to sign Danilo Gallinari off the buyout market. Although Donovan personally spoke with Gallinari about the opening, the forward ultimately chose to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks. Since then, Donovan said he hasn’t been asked by the front office to speak with any other buyout targets.

“Outside of him, I haven’t necessarily talked to anybody else,” Donovan said. “Those guys generally — and by those guys, I mean Artūras (Karnišovas) and Marc (Eversley) — they’re always great about, ‘Hey, listen, there’s somebody on the buyout market who wants to figure out a role. Can you get on the phone?’ I haven’t had any more conversations other than (Gallinari).”

But with no true power forwards currently available at the start of a playoff push, the Bulls might need to make a quick change to their buyout plans.

Number of the week: 27

There are only 27 games left in the regular season for the Bulls, who are currently stuck at the bottom of the play-in standing with the ninth overall position in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls pulled off a hefty course correction after their 5-14 start, going 21-15 over the past 36 games to claw their way back up into contention for the play-in tournament. But they remain 4 1/2 games back from an outright playoff position and trail the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic by four games apiece in the play-in standings.

With one of the easiest schedules in the East over the final stretch of the season, the Bulls are favorably positioned to improve their standings.

Week ahead: Bulls

  • Wednesday: Off
  • Thursday: Boston Celtics, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago
  • Friday: Off
  • Saturday: Off
  • Sunday: @ New Orleans Pelicans, 6 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago
  • Monday: Off
  • Tuesday: Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago

What we’re reading this morning

Quotable

“She can shoot the piss out of the ball.” — Coby White on Sabrina Ionescu’s performance against Steph Curry in a first-ever 3-point contest between WNBA and NBA players at the NBA All-Star weekend

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