Former All-Conference Defender Sends Heartfelt Message After Signing With Bulls

Getty E.J. Liddell #32 of the Chicago Bulls.

The Chicago Bulls signed Talen Horton-Tucker on October 19. The move gives them 15 players on standard contracts in advance of the October 21 deadline. They took it a step further, filling their final two-way contract slot with E.J. Liddell.

Liddell is a native of Belleville, Illinois – roughly 90 minutes between Springfield and Carbondale and over four hours from Chicago.

He sent a heartfelt message in reaction to his new deal in a post on social media.

“Chi town I am grateful to be here!” Liddell said in a post on X on October 19, quoting the official announcement from the team. “A kid from downstate Illinois gets a chance to represent his home state team.”

Liddell averaged 4.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in two preseason appearances with the Bulls. The No. 41 overall pick of the 2022 draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, Liddell missed his rookie season after tearing his ACL in summer league.

He returned to the floor in 2023-24, averaging 0.5 points in eight appearances with the Pelicans.

Liddell posted a 17.6/7.9/1.5 line in 26 regular season games (18 starts) with the Birmingham Barons, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, in 2023-24.

E.J. Liddell a Full-Circle Signing for Bulls

Liddell’s circuitous journey to his home-state team, the Bulls, included a stellar three-year career in college at Ohio State. He was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and was named to the conference’s All-Defensive team in 2021-22.

Kevin O’Connor projected the Bulls to select him with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2022 draft.

“Older prospect here, but this just feels like a no-brainer selection,” O’Connor said on “The Void” podcast in May 2022. “He can come in right away.

“We’re seeing with the Celtics in the East Semis right now against the Bucks: If you have any chance of getting through Giannis [Antetokounmpo], you need to have long, tough, hard-nosed wing defenders like Grant Williams, like Al Horford. E.J. Liddell is one of those guys as a forward who can come in and, hopefully, provide that for you.”

The Pelicans traded Liddell in a package with Cody Zeller, Dyson Daniels, and Larry Nance Jr. to the Atlanta Hawks for Dejounte Murray during the 2024 offseason. Atlanta traded him to the Phoenix Suns for David Roddy after NBA 2K25 Summer League.

The Suns waived Liddell after nearly one month after acquiring him.

He initially signed an exhibit-10 contract with the Bulls in training camp. He beat former undrafted free agents Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Marcus Domask for the final two-way slot.

Liddell joins guard and fellow Illinois native DJ Steward and big man Adama Sanogo – a two-time national champion in college at UConn – as the Bulls’ three two-way contract slots entering the regular season.

Bulls Roster Several Local Products

The Bulls have leaned heavily into their local roots in recent years, acquiring several players from the state of Illinois.

In addition to Liddell, the Bulls also roster Horton-Tucker, Steward, Ayo Dosunmu, and rookie No. 11 overall pick Matas Buzelis from Chicago. Liddell is joined by Maywood native Jevon Carter as a product of Chicagoland suburbs.

Carter (2023 free agency) and Dosunmu (2022 draft) are incumbents.

The Bulls signed Steward to a two-way contract after summer league while Buzelis was their first-round pick in the 2024 draft.