One month out from the Bulls’ season opener at the United Center, the buzz around Chicago is already starting to sharpen. The summer has brought a lot of change for an organization trying to reset, and while the on-court product may not be built for a huge leap right away, this 82-game stretch still matters a great deal for the franchise’s new direction.
The biggest storyline, by a mile, is Caleb Freakin' Wilson (not his real middle name). Draft season talk can fade fast once the offseason drags on, but Wilson has managed to stay front and center.
He’s been in the gym late at night, showing up around the city with other Chicago stars, and even working out with LeBron Freakin' James (also not his real middle name). All of that has only turned up the volume on the anticipation around Year 1.
Now the calendar is about to get serious. Media Day and training camp are less than a week away, and that’s when the talk turns into real evaluation.
Expectations get set then. Practices get packed with information.
And Wilson will be under the microscope from the jump, with everyone watching to see whether he can quickly look like the player the Bulls want in this new setup. He needs time, of course, but he also arrives with the kind of hype Chicago hasn’t seen since Derrick Rose was in the building.
Another major piece of the puzzle is Tiago Splitter, who is heading into his first-ever training camp as a head coach after leading the Portland Trail Blazers for essentially all of last season. This is where the new era starts taking shape.
The Bulls still don’t have a clear identity or a locked-in style, and that won’t all be solved before opening night. But this camp is Splitter’s chance to lay down the foundation for what he wants his team to be.
The early signs point toward a very different Bulls team. Splitter has already emphasized rebounding and defense, and the roster is built with high-motor, athletic downhill players.
That combination suggests a group that should play with more force than fans have been used to seeing. Training camp and preseason won’t just be about getting the players ready; they’ll also be about learning how Splitter wants to guide this group, especially the younger pieces on the roster.
That part of his plan is still something of a mystery, but answers are coming soon.
Roster battles may not be the biggest drama here, but the fight for rotation minutes absolutely will be. The Bulls do have a fully guaranteed roster spot open, though it doesn’t look like they’re bringing in a player who will seriously contest for that contract.
There should be some competition for the final two-way deal, but that lane carries less weight. The real heat is going to be for playing time.
The projected starting group looks pretty settled with Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson, and Nic Claxton. What happens behind them is far less certain.
Jalen Smith and Zach Collins are both in line as backup center options. Leonard Miller, Patrick Williams, and Isaac Okoro will be fighting for wing minutes.
Rob Dillingham and rookie Dailyn Swain will need to show they deserve an immediate role as ball-handlers.
That makes the next few months a serious evaluation window for the new front office and coaching staff. Outside of Caleb Wilson, nobody on this roster looks fully secure. If players want to change that, the proving ground starts now.
In Other News...
Bulls Keep Reshaping Bryson Grahams Front Office Before Year 1
The Bulls are still building out Bryson Grahams basketball operations group before his first season in charge even begins. Chicago announced another round of staff updates, with the front office continuing to take shape under the new lead executive after already making major moves by adding Acie Law IV and Stephen Mervis to prominent roles.
Brian Hagan has been elevated to Senior Vice President of Player Personnel, and the Bulls also filled out more of the organizations support structure with Alex Kaufman, Dionne Calhoun, Jarrett Sutton, Justin Irwin and Noah Fox joining in different capacities. The latest changes show how much of the day-to-day infrastructure around Graham is still being assembled, with the G League side and the medical and scouting areas all getting attention as the Bulls put the finishing touches on the staff. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Starting Lineup Could Finally Reveal Chicagos Real Direction
The Bulls are still trying to sort out what the next version of the roster is supposed to look like, but the projected 2026-27 starting five offers a clearer hint than most of the recent chatter. Josh Giddey and Norman Powell give the group a steady backcourt presence, while Matas Buzelis is expected to keep growing into a bigger offensive role. The shape of that lineup suggests Chicago is no longer just patching holes from one season to the next, but trying to build something more coherent around young talent and a few established pieces.
Caleb Wilson is part of that picture too, giving the front office another high-upside piece to develop as the rebuild takes hold. Tiago Splitter is stepping in on the bench, and his arrival adds another layer to a transition that has been moving in this direction for a while. The unanswered question is how quickly all of those parts can fit together into a team that looks less like an experiment and more like a direction. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Move On From Keon Johnson And Raise An Immediate Question
Keon Johnsons stay with the Hawks was short-lived, with Atlanta waiving the former first-round pick soon after bringing him in on an Exhibit 10 contract. It leaves him back on the market at a time when a few teams with room to keep looking for back-end roster help could at least take a hard look, and the conversation around him has quickly shifted to which clubs might be willing to give him another chance.
Among the teams mentioned as possible fits are the Nuggets, the Bulls and the Trail Blazers, though nothing has been confirmed by any of them. For Chicago, the interest is more about roster context than anything else, as the front office continues to sort through training camp options and evaluate whether another camp body makes sense in a group that is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]