East Notes: Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bulls, Goran Dragic, Heat

Bucks

Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks can breathe a sigh of relief, as his right wrist injury isn’t considered serious, per Shams Charania and Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

Instead, it s indeed a sprain, suffered in the Bucks’ win over the Bulls last Thursday. Antetokounmpo did play a couple minutes in the All-Star Game, but that was hardly a game.

Anyway, Antetokounmpo will be able to return once the swelling in his wrist subsides, per Charania and Nehm.

He is averaging a career-high 31.8 points and 12.2 rebounds, as the Bucks entering the post-ASG break at 41-17, a half-game back of the Celtics for first in the Eastern Conference.

• The Bucks are signing center Meyers Leonard to a 10-day contract, as we relayed here. Leonard worked for the Bucks and Lakers recently, and the Bucks have had him on the radar for at least a year, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Bulls

• In case you missed it, guard Patrick Beverley said he chose the Bulls over the Warriors after being waived by the Magic. Beverley explained why here.
• The Bulls are likely to release guard Goran Dragic or center Tony Bradley to create a roster spot for Beverley, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
• Johnson added: “While Beverley isn’t a prototypical point guard, his ability to push pace, defend and playmake while not taking shots away from primary scorers projects to be a fit.”

Heat

• The Heat’s zone defense may help cover for power forward Kevin Love, wrote Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Love struggled mightily in man-to-man with the Cavaliers this season.
• Heat point guard Kyle Lowry could return from a knee issue by the end of the month, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
• You can read the full dribbles on Love/Cavs here and the signing of center Cody Zeller right here. The Heat entered the stretch run in search of floor-spacing and some depth up front, and believe they have landed both.