Bulls big man out at least a month after wrist surgery

Chicago Bulls big man Zach Collins underwent surgery on Friday to repair a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist, the team announced. He’ll be reevaluated in four weeks.

Collins, 27, was projected to be Nikola Vucevic‘s primary backup at center, so Chicago’s frontcourt depth will be significantly impacted by his injury during the early going.

Collins was included in the three-team blockbuster trade last February among the Bulls, Spurs and Kings. That was the deal in which Zach LaVine wound up in Sacramento and De’Aaron Fox headed to San Antonio.

He appeared in 28 games, including eight starts, after the deal and averaged 6.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 19.7 minutes per game. Collins has appeared in 378 regular-season games during a career that began in Portland during the 2017-18 season.

Collins has an $18,080,496 expiring contract, which could make a valuable trade candidate this season.