Bulls without Hutchison after positive COVID teston January 2, 2021 at 12:19 am

7:04 PM ET

Chicago Bulls forward Chandler Hutchison has tested positive for COVID-19, according to coach Billy Donovan.

He remains in Washington, D.C., where the Bulls beat the Wizards on Thursday night. The Bulls take on the Bucks in Milwaukee on Friday night.

“He’s going through the NBA safety and protocols,” Donovan confirmed.

Hutchison’s teammates Lauri Markkanen, Ryan Arcidiacono and Tomas Satoransky also remain out for the Bucks game while under the league’s health and safety protocol. The trio is back in Chicago.

Donovan originally announced Thursday that the Bulls would be without four players in Washington, and that those players wouldn’t travel to Milwaukee, due to the NBA health and safety protocols. Donovan later announced Hutchison’s positive test on Friday after receiving permission from the Bulls organization.

“There’s just a lot of inconveniences to be quite honest with you, and it’s just kind of the way of the world,” Donovan said. “It’s a totally different environment. I really didn’t know what to expect when I took the job, but I really didn’t know what to expect going into Orlando into the bubble.”

Chicago has already had to contend with the coronavirus early in the 2020-21 season.

Bulls forward Noah Vonleh tested positive for COVID-19 in the preseason, then was waived. Satoransky also missed time in December due to the mandated nine-day quarantine after the league determined he had close contact with Vonleh. Forward Luke Kornet and two-way guard Devon Dotson were also quarantined during the preseason with “excused absences.”

In early December, Garrett Temple announced he had tewsted positive for the coronavirus on Nov. 28 and was isolating in a Chicago hotel. He believes he contracted the virus at a family gathering in Louisiana on Thanksgiving.

“Most of my family did not get it, which is good,” Temple said on a Zoom call. “My dad, my mom, nobody over 60, nobody with underlying conditions has it, which is great. My wife and my son are both negative, which is great.”

Donovan said four members of the Bulls coaching staff missed the game against the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 26, but returned for the following game against the Golden State Warriors.

“These are the things that are happening on a regular basis, but as it relates to our coaching staff here in Milwaukee, everybody on our staff is here,” he said.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer sees the latest Bulls situation as a constant reminder to stay safe amid a challenging season.

“We’ve seen a few teams have to deal with multiple players being held out for safety and protocol procedures and each time you see that, I guess you’re first probably mindful that it’s not your team and your group,” Budenholzer said. “It just reminds you to stay diligent. The league has always taken our health and safety with a real priority and it’s gonna continue to make that paramount to the success of the season and make sure that nothing serious happens to any team or any player.”