The Chicago Bulls have already done the heavy lifting on their offseason checklist, but one of their quietest moves is now sitting in the middle of a much bigger NBA traffic jam.
Chicago signed Norman Powell and Zach Collins to contracts that could turn into trade chips by the deadline, giving the front office a way to chase future draft capital while keeping the young core’s runway intact. The Bulls also landed Nic Claxton in what looks like a bargain for lead executive Bryson Graham, stepping in as a third team in the Minnesota Timberwolves-Brooklyn Nets Julius Randle trade.
The price for Chicago was minimal: second-year guard Mouhamadou Gueye, who appeared in two games for the Bulls last season after being picked up on April 9. Chicago will absorb Claxton’s deal into its remaining cap space.
But while the league waits for a flood of offseason trades to become official after the moratorium ended on July 6, that Claxton-Randle-Gueye framework is still unresolved. The holdup is tied to a much larger chain of moves, including LaMelo Ball’s reported move to Minnesota.
According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, Gueye is not eligible to be traded until July 9, which means the full deal cannot be finalized until then. Keith Smith laid out the same issue on X, noting that Gueye’s April 9 signing date triggers the NBA’s rule that players generally cannot be moved until three months after they sign.
That odd little wrinkle is slowing down a trade package that has grown far beyond its original shape. What started as a pick swap between the Nets and Timberwolves, plus Randle to Brooklyn and Gueye to Minnesota, has reportedly been widened to include Ball to the Timberwolves, Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies, Santi Aldama to the Dallas Mavericks, John Collins in a sign-and-trade to the Detroit Pistons, and Naz Reid to the Charlotte Hornets.
It’s a massive domino chain, and Gueye’s eligibility is the one thing keeping it from being pushed through right now.
The deal is expected to happen. The only real question is whether the teams decide to bundle everything into one sprawling transaction or break it up once July 9 arrives.
Welcome to the quirks of the NBA trade market.
In Other News...
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Josh Giddey still sits at the center of that conversation, but his hold on the job is not being treated as untouchable. The Bulls know the ball security issues have been there, and Swains college profile suggests he can create pressure in different ways, including drawing contact. The next few months should tell the story, from Summer League to training camp and into the opening stretch of the season, when Chicago will get a better read on whether this is just competition or the start of a real challenge. [Read more 🡒]
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Bulls Face Painful Truth As Rebuild Hits Harsh Ceiling
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What makes the analysis sting is that the concerns are not limited to fringe pieces. Olivers numbers also raise questions around Matas Buzelis, Isaac Okoro and Rob Dillingham, players the Bulls would prefer to see trending upward as the rebuild takes shape. Instead, the data suggests the ceiling may be lower than hoped, with too many rotation candidates flashing the same warning sign regardless of competition level. For a team trying to chart a faster path back to relevance, that is the kind of reality check that can force hard decisions sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]