Will Bulls Move On From Denzel Valentine After Latest Injury?

The Chicago Bulls announced via a press release this morning that second-year guard Denzel Valentine will miss the remainder of the season to pursue an arthroscopic debridement surgery on his left knee tomorrow morning. He had been experiencing swelling in that knee in the past week.

According to the Chicago Tribune:

Valentine first experienced swelling after the March 24 road loss to the Pistons and didn’t practice two days later after a team off day. He then surprisingly played in Houston on March 27 and in the three subsequent games, although he scored in single digits in all three.

Denzel Valentine Injury HIstory

This is the latest setback in an injury-plagued basketball career for Valentine. A former AP NCAA player of the year, The 24-year-old shooting guard out of Michigan State was drafted 14th overall by the Bulls in 2016 for his ability to play and guard multiple positions as well as his maturity, being a four-year player and leader for a top tier program under Tom Izzo.

However, although he is technically a professional athlete, he has always been considered an underwhelming athlete compared to his peers-- which makes the constant injuries he has sustained throughout his career quite troubling-- it's not as if his knee problems stem from soaring through the air or accomplishing Herculean feats on the hardwood. During his pre-draft workouts in 2016, there were concerns especially about his right knee (which he injured in high school), then again his senior year at Michigan State, for which Valentine underwent a mild arthroscopic procedure on the same left knee.

To compound matters even further, in his rookie season with the Bulls Valentine played only 57 games due to myriad ankle issues which he eventually had offseason surgery to correct.

Valentine made some strides in year two in the NBA, playing all 77 games thus far and averaging 10.2 points per game with above average efficiency beyond the arc. KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune went so far as to say that the 2018-18 campaign, albeit in a lost season, was “proving his worth as a rotational piece for the future."

Do The Bulls Commit?

Now true as that may be, playing Devil's advocate here, one can't help but wonder if the Bulls decide to commit to Valentine for the long haul or, aforementioned future. Valentine has only one more year of guaranteed money left on his contract before a 2019 club option which would cost the Bulls $3,377,569 in the 2019-20 season and $4,698,198 in 2020-21-- should they decide to exercise their options on him. With the Bulls in the midst of an obvious rebuild with a frustrated fanbase, it may behoove the Bulls' brass to seek a trade for Valentine for maybe a second round pick or even a younger player they see promise in to fill that building spot for the all-important future.