With the No. 11 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Bulls selected 6-foot-10 forward Matas Buzelis.
Buzelis, 19, was born and raised in Chicago. He played one season with the G-League Ignite before entering the NBA Draft. With the Ignite, Buzelis averaged 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game with them in 26 games.
Now, Buzelis joins the Bulls, who will undoubtedly sign him to his rookie deal, which should be a four-year deal with the first two years guaranteed.
Remember, first round picks can sign for as low as 80% of the NBA rookie scale or as high as 120% of the rookie scale. At 120% for the No. 11 pick, Buzelis' first contract could be worth up to $24.9 million, according to Spotrac.
Spotrac estimates the first two years of Buzelis' contract could pay him $5.21 and $5.47 million, respectively. Potential club options for Year 3 and 4 would come out to $5.7 million in Year 3 and $7.6 million in Year 4, according to the scale. The top contract in the 2024 NBA Draft is worth $57.1 million over four years.
MORE: Who is Matas Buzelis? Everything to know about the Bulls' newest member from the 2024 NBA Draft
Initially a strong swimmer, Buzelis shifted his focus to basketball after playing one Covid-shortened season at Hinsdale Central High School in the Chicago suburbs.
But he didn't expect to reap anything from his athletic career.
"I didn't really think I was gonna be a professional athlete until my freshman year of high school," Buzelis told NBC Sports Chicago in an exclusive interview in March. "I was always a swimmer and a video game player. I didn't think I was gonna be a professional athlete."
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He transferred to two different boarding schools before graduating. By the end of high school, Buzelis earned Gatorade Player of the Year, McDonald's All-American, and was selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic and the Nike Hoops Summit.
From there, he decided to play for the G-League Ignite team, opting against playing in college, before the 2024 NBA Draft. He played one strong season with the Ignite, flexing his versatile offensive abilities as a big man and his stalwart rim protection.
Buzelis was initially projected to go in the top-five picks in the NBA Draft, at minimum the top 10. But he fell one pick further to the Bulls, exactly where he wanted to go.
"I'd feel good about it. Hometown hero!" Buzelis told NBC Sports Chicago when asked how he would feel if the Bulls drafted him. "It'd be fun to play for Chicago. Just watching them when I was younger, watching Derrick Rose play. It'd be a dope experience."
