Kenneth Lofton Jr., who bounced between the Grizzlies, 76ers and Jazz last season, is going to have a chance to find a home in Chicago this season.
The Bulls have signed Lofton to an exhibit 10 contract, a story first reported Shams Charnia of the Athletic. While that report didn’t specify the contract details, the NBA transaction log showed it to be an exhibit 10 deal, which is a training camp contract with a bonus if Lofton signs with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s G-League Team.
It’s not impossible Lofton makes the regular season roster, but it’s a long shot. The Bulls have 14 players on guaranteed deals plus Onuralp Bitim on a non-guaranteed contract, which means Lofton would have to beat out Bitim and prove worthy of a final roster spot.
Lofton is an old-school power forward who played for Utah at Summer League this year, where in four games he averaged 6.5 points a game on 31.3% shooting with 4.3 rebounds a game. They are not exactly impressive numbers, but Lofton is capable of a big game.
Last players with 40+ PTS, 14+ REB and 65+ FG% in a game:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 16, 2024
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Joel Embiid
Anthony Davis
And Kenny Lofton Jr pic.twitter.com/C1WUO4ZDlu
Lofton stood out in the G-League last year, playing for Deleware and Utah and making All-NBA G-League First Team averaging 25.1 points and 9.5 rebounds a game. He also looked good in a handful of games for the Jazz at the end of the season.
The Bulls are expected to start Patrick Williams at the four and have rookie Matas Buzelis and veteran Torrey Craig behind him. If Lofton has a standout camp he could earn the 15th roster spot in Chicago, but he’s got some hard work ahead of him.
