Malcolm Hill, who signed with the Chicago Bulls to a 10-day hardship contract late last week, impressed Billy Donovan in Saturday's loss to the Celtics.
"He’s been here for a day-and-a-half,” Donovan said of Hill, who hit a 3-pointer, drew two charges and forced a travel on Jaylen Brown in 18 minutes. “And he did a good job defensively.”
Such a good job that, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Bulls intend to sign Hill to a two-way contract, which would keep him around through the end of the season. To make space for Hill, the team announced Monday morning that it waived Devon Dotson, who occupied one of the Bulls' two two-way slots during the 2020-21 season and the first half of 2021-22.
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Hill, a 6-foot-6 wing who grew up in Belleville, Ill., starred for the University of Illinois from 2013-2017, finishing his four years in Champaign the third-leading scorer in program history (1,846 points).
After going unselected in the 2017 NBA Draft, and failing to stick with the Oklahoma City Thunder following a Summer League stint, Hill went international, making stops in the Philippines, Germany, Kazakhstan and Israel between 2017 and 2021. He nabbed a training camp deal with the New Orleans Pelicans in the run-up to the 2021-22 season, but ultimately missed out on a roster spot and joined the team's G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, for 14 games.
Then, the Hawks came calling with a 10-day hardship contract. Hill, 26, made his NBA debut on Christmas Day 2021 for Atlanta, eventually appearing in three games and playing a total of 46 minutes. Two of those games were against the Bulls, including a 13-point outing on Dec. 29 at the United Center in which me shot 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
His 10-day signing with the Bulls was announced on Friday, the day of their 138-96 loss to the Warriors in Chicago. The next day, he was playing closing minutes in Boston. The rest is history. He and Tyler Cook now occupy the Bulls' two two-way slots.
This transaction occurring now also means the returns of Alex Caruso (protocols) and/or Javonte Green (groin) may be around the corner. The Bulls would have had to waive Hill once one of those two returned, given he was signed via hardship. Both Caruso and Green were assigned to the Windy City Bulls for their Sunday practice.
After Monday's game in Memphis, the Bulls next play when they host the Cavaliers on Wednesday.
