Bryson Graham’s first offseason in charge has left the Bulls looking competent, but not exactly inspired.
That’s a tough place to land when you start with as much room to work with as Graham did. Chicago entered his first transaction cycle with a roster that was basically an open canvas: only a couple of multi-year contracts, several expiring and value-neutral deals, nobody beyond maybe Matas Buzelis who clearly had to be treated as a long-term cornerstone, two first-round picks this year with control of all future firsts, two second-round picks plus a +5 surplus going forward, and what looked like a potentially league-leading more than $50 million in cap space.
From that setup, the Bulls have come away with four prospects - two drafted and two not - led by Caleb Wilson, plus short-term veteran deals for Norman Powell, Nic Claxton and Zach Collins, along with two future second-round pick swaps.
There’s still time for the picture to change. More future value could come in trades later this month, and Chicago still has the Room Exception at $9.3 million even after losing cap space.
Zach Collins can be traded immediately because the Bulls re-signed him using some of that room, though it’s impossible to know whether that was part of the team’s thinking. And as free agency moves into the second through fifth tiers, the fact that better, or at least more reliable, backup centers are signing for less makes it look increasingly possible that Chicago actually wants Collins around next season.
The Powell and Claxton moves matter for another reason, too. Because they were targeted so early, they weren’t just empty salary slots. If Graham wants credit for those signings, he has to be right that those players will help the young guys develop while also holding some value themselves.
On the whole, though, the offseason has been more middling than bold. Subjectively, it lands at a C-.
That grade would climb a full letter if the Dailyn Swain pick works out, since that’s the kind of move that plays directly into the strengths Graham is supposed to bring and Swain carries more long-term importance. The Bulls hired a new voice, as they always seem to do, and there’s still a lot we don’t know about Graham’s real strengths.
What we’ve been told is that he’s a scouting and player development guy, and maybe that extends to the veteran targets as well. The team’s 2-Way spots are also being handled with more care, which is encouraging.
Tiago Splitter is a major decision that could easily turn into another hit.
Even so, the early read on the transaction side is rough. If the only long-term assets the Bulls added this offseason are those second-round pick swaps, that’s closer to a D or an F than anything else. A rebuilding team sitting on that much cap space and what should be ownership support ought to be bringing in far more.
The market may not have offered much in the way of premium assets for salary dumps, but there are still big pieces expected to move, including LeBron James’s destination and the Denver Nuggets’ looming luxury tax bill. That’s part of the criticism here: Graham didn’t simply wait.
After his post-draft comments about roster flexibility, using the cap space this way feels like a fallback plan, not the best route. It’s better than wasting the money, sure, but it should have been the backup if the better options disappeared.
There’s also the issue of treating these kinds of deals as worthwhile only if they bring back a first-round pick. Even if Graham intends to keep following Bulls tradition and not use those picks to draft players, second-rounders still matter. They’re useful trade currency.
Taking on dead money just to collect second-round picks is not great business on its own, but value can build in layers. A few small gains can eventually turn into something bigger, and that’s what a rebuilding team should be chasing if it wants a real path to contention. Hopefully ownership understands that, because title contention will make them a lot more money than whatever payroll savings they’re chasing now.
Instead, Graham’s moves on the margins have looked more like a nod to short-term ownership comfort than to the bigger prize. Keeping payroll low by not waiving guaranteed contracts.
Chasing undrafted free agents and flipping second-round picks for cash. Retaining much of the old front office and coaching staff.
Overpaying a Mark Bartelstein client.
The good news, if there is some, is that these are still the margins. A front office can stumble there and still do well overall. Graham can improve the big picture even if he’s lagging in this area.
That’s why the most disappointing part is not that he’s been bad, but that he hasn’t looked like the kind of instant difference-maker some hoped for. He’s been fine.
Competent. Just not the brilliant tactician I thought he was.
And even if that was probably the realistic expectation, it still stings a little, because the Bulls are not in the business of making their own luck when it comes to hires.
In Other News...
Caleb Wilsons Bulls Debut Had Fans Buzzing Despite A Brutal Finish
Caleb Wilsons first night in a Bulls uniform gave Chicago plenty to think about beyond the final score. In his Las Vegas Summer League debut, the rookie forward looked comfortable attacking the rim and carrying a heavy offensive load, while Noa Essengue added impact on the defensive end and Dailyn Swain settled into a more natural rhythm after halftime. For a summer roster still sorting out roles, there was enough from the supporting cast to make Wilsons performance feel like part of a broader glimpse at what this group could become.
The finish, though, left the Bulls with the kind of sting that tends to linger in July. Memphis escaped with a 97-96 win, and Wilsons late bucket only sharpened the sense that Chicago had been right there before letting it slip away. Even so, the debut offered a useful snapshot of a young player who already looks like he belongs in the conversation, and it set up a summer in which the Bulls will keep learning how much they can ask of him. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Suddenly Have A Rare Chance To Make A Defining Swing
The Bulls are at least worth watching here because Michael Porter Jr. has surfaced as a possible trade target if Brooklyns contract talks go sideways, and that kind of star-level availability can change a teams planning in a hurry. For Chicago, the appeal is obvious: Porter would bring a proven scoring wing to a roster that has spent too long looking for more high-end talent on the perimeter, and any serious pursuit would likely require the Bulls to get creative with matching salary and decide how aggressive they want to be.
The framework being floated would not be a small one, either, which is part of what makes this such a meaningful hypothetical for Chicagos front office. Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro and either Zach Collins or Rob Dillingham have been mentioned as pieces that could help make the money work, but the real question is whether the Bulls see Porter as the kind of swing worth taking now, with the possibility that he could even become a movable asset again later if the season breaks the right way. [Read more 🡒]
Classic Bulls Era Fleer Set Suddenly Has Collectors Watching Again
The 1987-88 Fleer basketball set keeps drawing attention because it sits right in the middle of a loaded era, with Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alex English and even Manute Bol all packed into one release. For Bulls fans, it is the kind of cardboard time capsule that still feels connected to the franchises rise, and it has remained a steady target for collectors who chase the biggest names from that period.
What makes the set interesting now is how uneven the market has been around it. Some of the key cards and stickers have posted eye-catching sales in recent years, while others have cooled off after earlier spikes, which has kept collectors watching the set closely instead of treating it like a finished story. The second-year Jordan base card and the sticker subset still sit at the center of that conversation, and the latest movement has only added to the sense that this old Fleer issue is not done making noise. [Read more 🡒]