Report: Bulls granted disabled player exception for Noa Essengue

After losing rookie Noa Essengue to a season-ending injury, the Chicago Bulls were reportedly granted a disabled player exception, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic .

Bulls coach Billy Donovan announced on Dec. 3 that Essengue would undergo surgery in the "near future" to address a left shoulder injury. The decision was made to have surgery now to allow for a full recovery for next season, with an expected rehabilitation time of 6-7 months.

The team was reportedly granted a $2.7 million exception by the NBA, giving the front office some financial flexibility to potentially add a player via signing, trade or waiver claim by March 10, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac .

Essengue was the 12th pick in the draft after averaging 10.7 points, five rebounds and 1.2 assists on 52.1% shooting from the field last season with ratiopharm Ulm in the German League. He registered seven 20-point games, including a 22-point, 14-rebound performance on June 1.

The Frenchman was out of the rotation to begin the season, totaling only six minutes across two appearances with Chicago. Donovan has used a 9-10 man rotation for much of the early going, leaving Essengue and others out of the fold.

Essengue played four games in the G League with Windy City, averaging 23 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and one steal on 50.8% shooting from the field. He registered three 20-point games, including a 27-point, 10-rebound effort on Nov. 26.

This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Bulls news: Team granted disabled player exception for Noa Essengue