Bulls keep Javonte Green in the mix, sign him for rest of season

This wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill, under-the-radar Bulls transaction on a slow news day.

The Bulls announced Thursday that they signed 6-5 swingman Javonte Green for the rest of the season and waived reserve Terry Taylor.

The move was expected and also sorely needed.

It gives Billy Donovan a versatile player he’s familiar with after having coached him several seasons and indicates the way the Bulls will have to play if they want to get out of the play-in portion of the postseason and reach a playoff round: a choking defense with Green in the mix.

The numbers don’t lie when it comes to Green. Since signing him to a 10-day contract in late March, the Bulls are 2-1 in the three games Green has played in, he’s third in defensive efficiency (113.6) and he’s a plus-22.

It’s a small sample size, but Green always has been a difference-maker for Donovan since coming over in a trade with the Celtics in 2020-21. He was a plus-20 in 65 games in 2021-22 and was a plus-48 until a knee injury sidelined him last season.

He was third-best on the team in defensive efficiency in 2022-23 at 108.9.

The Bulls had to get him off the 10-day contract and onto a regular deal to make him eligible for postseason play, and the move shows just how concerned the front office and coaching staff are with the team’s depth.

Guard Jevon Carter has fallen out of favor as a bench option, getting four DNP-CDs (did not play-coach’s decision), short minutes or mop-up duty in the last seven games.

Executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas doesn’t like to admit his mistakes, but signing Carter to a two-year deal is playing out like another error. Carter, who made $6.1 million this season and will make a guaranteed $6.5 million next season, also has the player option for the 2025-26 season at $6.8 million.

That’s a lot of money for a veteran being treated like a deep-bench towel waver.

The other issue that Green’s addition addresses is the ongoing concern with small forward Torrey Craig’s knee. Craig has returned and has been playing, but Donovan believes the knee sprain is still an issue.

“He’s not on a minutes restriction,” Donovan said recently. “I’m not a doctor, but I do know he has stiffness. To me, he’s just not himself. That doesn’t mean he isn’t cleared to play. He is, and he wants to play, as well. Going back to the plantar fasciitis [from earlier in the season] and then the knee injury over All-Star break, he’s not moving the way he was before those things. He’s just not. He feels like the more he plays, the better he gets.”

The Bulls have six games to hold off the Hawks and stay locked into the East’s No. 9 seed. If they can do that, they’ll host the Hawks in the first play-in game, and if they win, they’ll get the loser of the No. 7-No. 8 game.

Whether that’s the Heat, Pacers or 76ers, Green gives Donovan another look late in games that he likes to have in his pocket: the small-ball lineup. Because of his physicality, Green can guard fours and even some fives.

The Green signing isn’t a game-changer when it comes to the big picture in the Eastern Conference, but he could be the difference between play-in failure or a first-round playoff appearance for the Bulls. That carries weight with this front office.