Bulls could have their first dunk contest champ since Michael Jordan

The NBA wants Mac McClung to dunk — but not play

While the Bulls signed McClung, it's unlikely that he'll join the big club. Chicago has the maximum 15 players under contract, and would have to release a player to get McClung on the team. For the last four seasons, any NBA team could have signed McClung out of the G League, and he's played only 76 minutes.

You might think there'd be a place for McClung, who has been an excellent three-point shooter and has shown incredible athleticism when he dunks.

But at 6-foot-2, he's small for a shooting guard and doesn't have the passing and playmaking skills to run point. His size also hurts him on defense, where he's easily overpowered by larger players and especially vulnerable when he has to switch onto big men. His offense simply isn't good enough to overcome his other limitations.

Still, he's clearly one of the better players in the G League. There's no real downside to having McClung playing for Windy City, especially with 2025 draftees Lachlan Olbrich and Noa Essengue likely to spend some time in the G League. Signing McClung now strongly suggests the Bulls are giving McClung more than the standard G League contract.

But perhaps in a season where they aren't expected to compete for the playoffs, or even their usual play-in spot, the Bulls want to have something positive happen to a guy in a Bulls uniform. DraftKings set the Bulls over/under at 32.5 games — McClung potentially winning the dunk contest would be a rare "W" for Chicago.

Plus, it never hurts to remind Bulls fans of Michael Jordan, who won the dunk crown in 1987 and 1988.

The arrangement works for McClung, too. The standard G League salary is $45K. The prize for winning the Slam Dunk contest is $100K, meaning McClung can double his yearly salary with a night of dunking.

Perhaps that's why he's been a cut above his dunking competitors the past three years. They're dunking for glory. McClung is dunking to keep his career alive.