Denzel Valentine undergoing season-ending knee surgery

The Bulls shut down Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn for the rest of the season.

Now, Denzel Valentine will join them on the shelf.

Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago:

Denzel Valentine joins the Bulls’ permanent inactive list after the team announced he’ll have an arthroscopic debridement on his left knee after experiencing swelling, ending his promising second season with five games remaining.

Valentine will undergo the procedure Wednesday, his third procedure in his career. He underwent surgery in high school and in college at Michigan State, his last in December 2015.

A source close to him called it “a minor clean-up” as opposed to something that could affect him long-term.

People close to players are usually incentivized to paint the situation in the most favorable light. Whether or not this is actually minor, the messaging would probably sound similar.

Valentine showed nice progress in his second season, but the biggest concern about his game is athleticism. Another knee surgery only exacerbates that.

With the Bulls tanking, there was no reason for Valentine to delay this surgery. Better to take care of it now and maximize recovery time before next season. Plus, losing Valentine will only help Chicago lose more and get a higher draft pick.