Bulls' Jevon Carter wants real conversation of 'clarity' this offseason

ORLANDO, Fla. — Bulls guard Jevon Carter could have scorched the earth if he chose to Sunday.

Instead, he chose to remain a pro’s pro and bite his tongue.

At least for now.

Carter, who was the first free agent the Bulls jumped on last offseason, went into the team’s game against the Magic watching more and more playing time dry up. He hadn’t played six times in the last 12 games, and the time he had gotten lately was mostly mop-up.

The most common explanation coach Billy Donovan has given when asked about Carter’s lack of playing time has been, ‘‘He’s just got to stay ready.’’

Considering how much work Carter — a former standout at Proviso East — puts in before and after games, that seemingly hasn’t been an issue. Still, he was asked about Donovan’s assessment and responded with, ‘‘Coming from the guy himself.’’

When Carter was asked whether he needed more of an explanation than that, he said, ‘‘Do I need more or do I want more?’’

When it was pointed out that ‘‘need’’ and ‘‘want’’ are different things, Carter smirked and said, ‘‘Look, I’m just happy to be here.’’

The bottom line for Carter is that, with the Bulls fighting to get a first-round home game in the play-in tournament, he doesn’t want to disrupt things.

Once the season ends, however, a tough and honest conversation between him and the organization needs to take place quickly.

‘‘Yeah, I just want to hear something that makes sense, that’s all,’’ Carter said. ‘‘That’s all I’m looking for, just clarity.’’

The Bulls signed Carter to a three-year, $19.5 million deal that features a $6.8 million player option for the 2025-26 season. Maybe they will try to trade him this summer, but considering how little playing time he has been getting, they might find that hard to do.

Until there’s some sort of resolution, however, Carter remains on the bench, doing all he can to support his teammates.

‘‘I think we’ve proven we can beat anybody and, if we don’t come prepared, we can also lose to anybody,’’ Carter said when he was asked about his view of the team. ‘‘Honestly, we’re kind of like a wild-card team: You don’t know what you are going to get. You can get our worst or you can get our best. Only time will tell.’’

Playing the standings

There might come a game in the next week that Donovan tries to limit the heavy minutes that forward DeMar DeRozan and guard Coby White have been putting in all season, but it won’t come until the Bulls’ regular-season fate is decided.

The Bulls can’t move up from No. 9 in the Eastern Conference, but they can slide to No. 10.

‘‘With what’s at stake for us, an opportunity to get a home [play-in] game, we would be wanting to fight for that,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘But I have not had any direction from the front office or haven’t gotten anything from DeMar where it was, ‘Hey, I want to rest, I want to sit out.’ ’’

Man down

Guard Alex Caruso missed the game against the Magic after injuring his left ankle Friday against the Knicks, but Donovan said he also is dealing with a sore toe that has bothered him for most of the season.