A Jaden Ivey Return is Near – Can He Impress the Bulls Before Restricted Free Agency?

The Chicago Bulls have finally upgraded Jaden Ivey on the official injury report.

Ahead of Monday night's meeting with the Houston Rockets at the United Center, the former Detroit Pistons lottery pick has been listed as questionable. The move comes over a month after the guard was sidelined due to lingering knee soreness. Ivey revealed the pain following a DNP-CD on February 19, which eventually motivated the training staff to rule him out for two weeks and keep him at the Advocate Center for Chicago's five-game Western Conference road trip.

The goal has been to strengthen Ivey's knee, which underwent a small preseason operation that forced him to miss the first three weeks of the 2025-26 campaign. Of course, Ivey is also roughly 14 months removed from a devastating broken fibula. He has failed to look the same dynamic and confident athlete since, which is something Donovan said he noticed upon the guard's arrival in Chicago after the trade deadline.

Following his surprising DNP-CD, Billy Donovan said Jaden Ivey was not at practice today. He expressed some knee soreness and is getting checked out.

To be clear, Donovan said he was available and could play. Soreness was a concern after.

“He’s not moving like he once did.” pic.twitter.com/WmAFjONVhG
— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) February 20, 2026

Can Jaden Ivey Build Some Positive Momentum Before RFA?

While Jaden Ivey's latest designation does not mean he will suit up as soon as tonight, it paints a positive picture for later this week. Billy Donovan also told reporters at the end of last week that the plan is for Ivey to travel with the team's next road trip and that, most importantly, his knee pain has finally subsided.

Whether or not that means Ivey will play more like his former self remains to be seen. However, it's important to remember that he is still in a very new environment, which comes with its own learning curve. Speaking of which, there are only 12 games left in the regular season. Even if he did suit up for four games following the deadline, this simply isn't going to be a lot of time to learn a system or get back into peak game shape.

Having Ivey healthy and on the floor in any capacity, however, is in the Bulls' best interest over the final few weeks. He is set to hit restricted free agency in a matter of months, and the front office has to decide whether they believe he can be a meaningful part of their future.

The 24-year-old undoubtedly showed exciting signs in Detroit. He was a strong two-way playmaker with an improving three-point jumper, excellent downhill finishing, and a knack for getting to the free-throw line. For a team that needs a long-term running mate for Josh Giddey, there is reason to believe the best version of Ivey can be a strong fit. Ivey averaged a career-high 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists on 40.9 percent shooting from downtown in his 30 games pre 2024-25 injury.

At the same time, Bulls fans know well how devastating early career injury trouble can be. There is a chance that Ivey's upside has taken a hit, and thus the Bulls may have to re-adjust their expectations for him moving forward. This is why the next 12 games hold significant weight. Now is the only time for the organization to evaluate its overall health and fit with Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis before having to take out the checkbook. The last thing this franchise needs is any more questionable contracts on the cap sheet, particularly after they worked hard to create legitimately valuable flexibility.

Does Billy Donovan have it in him to let Ivey off the leash, assuming he's healthy enough to do so? The head coach had remained steadfast in this group's commitment to winning games. He has at least played youngsters like Rob Dillingham and Leonard Miller more often in recent weeks, but the Bulls' injury trouble has played a part in that decision. Heck, we need to look no further than his decision to move Miller from starter to back of the rotation against Cleveland.

Speaking of which, Anfernee Simons has been upgraded to questionable over the last couple of days. If all four of Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, Collin Sexton, and Simons are healthy, can we trust that Donovan will play Dillingham and Ivey real minutes? Again, it sure feels like it would be in the Bulls' best long-term interest, but when has that taken precedence for Chicago?

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