Jaden Ivey will receive full salary after being waived by Bulls: Sources

Jaden Ivey will receive his full $10.1 million salary this season even after the Chicago Bulls waived the guard for what they called “conduct detrimental to the team,” according to sources briefed on the matter.

In the days prior to his release, Ivey, 24, had spoken about his religious beliefs in multiple Instagram livestreams, calling Catholicism “a false religion” in one stream. When one Instagram user told Ivey they were praying for him, Ivey responded, “God does not hear your Prayer if you are a sinner.”

On Monday, he criticized Pride Month celebrations, including those held by the NBA, and said they represented “unrighteousness.”

“I think there’s a certain level of standards and expectations that are here,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said in explaining why the team waived Ivey. “I mean, we have people from all different walks of life working in the building and players from all different walks of life, right? So, the first thing is, everybody comes with their own personal experiences. But one is, we’ve got to all be professional. I think there’s got to be a high level of respect for one another, and we got to help each other and then be accountable to those standards.”

Ivey was in the final season of a four-year rookie contract that he signed after the Detroit Pistons made him the No. 5 pick in the 2022 NBA draft. Although the Bulls publicly explained why they waived Ivey, he was released through the conventional waiver process. He will be an unrestricted free agent if and when he clears waivers, after which he will be able to sign with any NBA team.

The Bulls acquired Ivey in February ahead of this season’s trade deadline in a three-team deal that sent Kevin Huerter and Dario Šarić to Detroit and Mike Conley to the Bulls. He only played in four games for the Bulls and has not appeared on the court since Feb. 11. He was shut down for the season last week because of a sore left knee.