The Chicago Bulls have filled out their training camp roster, and the group gives head coach Tiago Splitter and lead executive Bryson Graham a full 21-player pool to work with before the season gets rolling.
That matters now because the clock is already ticking. Media Day is Monday, training camp opens soon after, and the Bulls will spend September 29 through October 4 at the Advocate Center getting their first real look at this Year 1 group under Splitter and Graham. Chicago’s first preseason game comes Oct. 7 at the United Center against the Phoenix Suns, the first of five exhibition games before the regular season opens Oct. 21 in Toronto.
The official camp roster includes a mix of established names, two-way players and non-guaranteed invites:
Josh Giddey (G)
Tre Jones (G)
Norman Powell (G)
Rob Dillingham (G)
Daily Swain (G/F)
Isaac Okoro (G/F)
Patrick Williams (F)
Leonard Miller (F)
Noa Essengue (F)
Matas Buzelis (F)
Caleb Wilson (F)
Jalen Smith (F/C)
Zach Collins (C)
Nic Claxton (C)
Brandon Boston Jr. (G)
Peter Suder (G)
Drew Peterson (F)
Marquel Sutton (F)
Orlando Robinson (C)
With those 21 spots now spoken for, Chicago still has two regular-season openings sitting there: one standard roster spot and one last two-way slot. At this point, it’s tough to see a training camp invite crashing the door for that 15th full-time job. The more realistic path is that the Bulls hold that spot open for later roster business, especially if a midseason move creates a chance to absorb salary.
That leaves the two-way battle as the real fight to watch.
Peter Suder and Drew Peterson look like the names with the clearest edge. Suder is a rookie who drew pre-draft attention and had signed a two-way deal with the Lakers before getting released.
Peterson, meanwhile, was a player Chicago specifically traded for in the G League from the Motor City Cruise, a move that suggests the Bulls already had a strong opinion on him. Both also bring something the roster can use: shooting from deep.
Still, the camp isn’t locked into any one storyline. Brandon Boston Jr. and Orlando Robinson bring real NBA experience, and that keeps them firmly in the mix. Caleb Wilson and the other young players will get plenty of attention too, but this group should give the Bulls a competitive camp with a few genuine jobs to sort out.
In Other News...
Josh Giddey Faces A Defining Bulls Fit Test This Season
Josh Giddey is heading into his third season with the Bulls with something bigger than a contract year or a box score check-in hanging over him. Chicagos front office and coaching staff are pushing a new offensive philosophy built around pace and ball movement, and that puts Giddey in the middle of a familiar modern NBA question: how much on-ball responsibility should a player keep when the system wants the ball moving faster and more often? For a team still trying to define its identity, his fit could be one of the clearest early signs of whether the approach is working.
The challenge for Giddey is less about talent than usage, and that is where the season gets interesting. Chicago does not need him to be the same kind of possession-starter on every trip if the offense is going to look the way the staff wants, which means the next step is finding the right balance between creating and complementing. If he can settle into that role cleanly, the Bulls may have a better answer for what their new offense is supposed to be. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Enter Camp With One Health Question Still Lingering
Training camp is opening with the Bulls still sorting out the health picture, and for most of the roster, the signs are encouraging. Around the league, several notable names have already offered upbeat updates, with Tyrese Haliburton saying he is fully healthy after his Achilles injury, Stephen Curry reporting no current limitations, Luka Doncic cleared after a hamstring strain and Bradley Beal working back from hip surgery while also managing knee inflammation.
For Chicago, the larger issue is less about the star power and more about how many bodies are ready to go once camp begins. Josh Giddey has no restrictions after offseason ankle surgery, which helps settle one question, but there is still at least one lingering concern in camp as the Bulls get set to start Tuesday. Of the teams health questions, this is the one that could matter most if it stretches into the preseason. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Just Sent A Clear Message About Where This Front Office Is Headed
The Bulls keep signaling a shift toward a younger, more modern basketball operations structure, and their latest move fits that pattern. Michael Reinsdorf announced the hiring of Bryson Graham into the front office, adding another voice to the basketball operations department as Chicago continues reshaping the way it staffs key decision-making roles.
Graham arrives with experience that should matter right away, having spent much of his career with the Pelicans before a run as vice president of basketball operations with the Hawks. For a Bulls organization trying to reset its internal direction, the hire says plenty about the kind of profile it is now targeting, even if the broader picture of how this new group will ultimately take shape is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]