Chicago Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy underwent a lower-back microdiscectomy procedure on Friday, the Bulls announced.
Dunleavy is expected to be sidelined 8-10 weeks. The Bulls’ first regular-season game is Oct. 27, so Dunleavy will likely miss the first 12-16 games.
The operation, which was performed at Rush University Medical Center, was done to relieve back discomfort Dunleavy had experienced over the summer.
The pain increased in recent weeks, and conservative measures failed to resolve the problem. It was then determined that surgery was necessary.
Dunleavy played in 63 regular-season games for the Bulls last season, all as a starter, and averaged 9.4 points while hitting 40.7 percent of his three-point shots.
He started 12 postseason games, and averaged 10.9 points while shooting 48.2 percent from long range in those contests..