The Bulls may not be done with their summer business just because Las Vegas Summer League is taking center stage. With one open spot still sitting on the main roster, Chicago has at least one more possible move to consider in NBA free agency - and Bobby Marks’ latest reporting puts them in the middle of a potential Jonathan Kuminga deal.
Marks reported Friday that Jonathan Kuminga met with Lakers head coach JJ Redick and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka as Los Angeles worked to sell him on a role with the team. He also noted that the Lakers have already used all of their available salary cap space in their 2026 free agency moves, which opens the door for a third team to help make a sign-and-trade work.
That’s where the Bulls come in.
In this setup, Chicago would not be chasing the kind of draft haul that usually comes with taking on extra salary. The Lakers are described as a bottom-tier team when it comes to draft assets, so the incentive for the Bulls would be different. Instead, the appeal would be twofold: fill that 15th roster spot and add more shooting.
The Hawks, meanwhile, could simply choose to do nothing. Atlanta declined Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option for the 2026-27 season, which is why he is an unrestricted free agent right now.
If the Bulls were to get involved, the framework would center on sending Kuminga to the Lakers while using Chicago’s $9.4 million room mid-level exception and $18 million traded player exception, created when Kevin Huerter was dealt to the Detroit Pistons at the 2026 NBA trade deadline.
Under the idea laid out, the Bulls could absorb Lakers forward Dalton Knecht’s rookie-scale contract into the room mid-level exception, giving Los Angeles more cap room to sign Kuminga to a three-year, $45 million guaranteed deal. To make the Hawks interested, Chicago could also take on Hawks forward Corey Kispert’s $13.5 million average annual value salary through the Huerter trade exception.
In return, Atlanta would get Bulls guard Isaac Okoro, whose contract is worth $11.8 million and expires, along with Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt’s deal, which pays $12.4 million in the 2026-27 season and includes a $13.3 million player option for 2027-28, the final year of the contract.
The Hawks would also pick up $4.7 million in cap flexibility, according to Spotrac, while effectively turning Kispert’s two remaining guaranteed years into two guaranteed years of Vanderbilt.
For Chicago, the payoff would be adding two shooters to the bench at manageable prices, with team options serving as built-in exits if needed. Knecht’s team option comes on the 2027-28 season, and Kispert’s team option arrives on the 2028-29 season.
In Other News...
Zach LaVine May Have Just Changed How Bulls Fans See Him
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What has kept LaVine in the spotlight since then is the sense that his next move says as much about his outlook as his on-court production. Sacramento is not viewed as a title favorite, which is why his decision has sparked so much speculation about where winning ranks among his priorities and whether the chase for a championship is still driving his career choices the way some had assumed. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Wright Just Reopened A Michael Jordan Playoff Debate Bulls Fans Hate
Nick Wright has a way of poking at the kind of Michael Jordan mythology Bulls fans usually prefer to leave untouched, and his latest podcast discussion did exactly that. He went back to playoff moments that do not fit the cleanest version of Jordans legend, pointing to a rough night against Detroit in the 1989 Eastern Conference Finals and another against New York in 1993, while also acknowledging that Jordan still found ways to matter even when the shot was not falling.
For Chicago fans, the frustration is not just the criticism itself but the timing and the target. Jordans playoff rsum has always been built on the idea of inevitability, yet Wrights argument leans on the games where the Bulls needed more than scoring from their star, with Scottie Pippen stepping into a bigger role in those series. He also widened the lens to another low point later in Jordans career, leaving the debate hanging right where it tends to get hottest. [Read more 🡒]