Bulls to sign Ersan Ilyasova via hardship exception

The Bulls agreed to sign free agent forward Ersan Ilyasova to a 10-day contract using a hardship exception, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link).

The shorthanded Bulls, which currently have six players in the health and safety protocols, already added Alfonzo McKinnie as a replacement player and will reportedly sign Mac McClung as well. The hardship signings won’t count toward the team’s 15-man roster limit, so no corresponding moves are necessary.

Ilyasova, 34, has an extensive NBA résumé, having appeared in 825 regular-season games and another 52 playoff contests since making his debut in 2006. However, he didn’t sign until March last season and played a limited role down the stretch for the Jazz, averaging just 3.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 17 games (8.7 MPG).

The former second-round pick out of Turkey is known as a stretch four, having made 36.7% of his career attempts from beyond the arc.

Ilyasova will earn $151,821 over the course of his 10-day contract, but it won’t count against the Bulls’ team salary for cap or tax purposes.