Bulls news: Noah Vonleh will be waived after testing positive for COVID-19

Noah Vonleh was the latest NBA player to test positive for COVID-19. This will force him to be the odd man out. The Chicago Bulls elected to waive him.

Health can be extremely critical in dictating a NBA player's career, and that's especially the case for the upcoming season as the league prepares to trek through another difficult, unbalanced season due to COVID-19. Noah Vonleh was the latest NBA player to test positive for the virus. This will unfortunately force him to be the odd man out. The Chicago Bulls elected to waive the Indiana Hoosiers product ahead of the regular season, according to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes:

Yahoo Sources: Chicago Bulls forward Noah Vonleh has tested positive for COVID-19 and begins mandatory 10-day quarantine. He will be waived. I’m told he is feeling good overall.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 14, 2020

With Vonleh being forced to go through the mandatory quarantine period, it voids his remaining time of earning a spot on the regular season roster. As such, the Bulls will go forward with their remaining options before preseason ends.

Vonleh, who's apparently in good spirits, issued a statement via Yahoo Sports as well while expressing his gratitude to the Bulls organization:

Noah Vonleh issues statement to @YahooSports on testing positive for COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/Uhtgd79qCx

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 14, 2020

Vonleh last played for the Bulls during the 2017-18 season. He averaged 6.9 points and 6.9 rebounds through 19 minutes per game. His most recent stop was with the Denver Nuggets last season, where he only played a total of seven games with a short span of 4.3 minutes per game.

Before going to the Chicago Bulls, Vonleh was picked by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2014 draft with the ninth selection. While he did show high potential coming out of Indiana University, his skills didn't immediately transition to the pros. He wasn't awarded much playing time as he played in only 25 games during his rookie season as he battled injuries.

The Bulls are gearing up nonetheless for their season opener against the against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 23, as the NBA starts up before Christmas Day in what will be a 72-game season ending in the middle of the summer of 2021, just before the Tokyo Summer Olympics begin.