Norman Powell could be one of the more interesting names to surface if the Bulls decide to keep leaning into their rebuild, and the idea here is simple: use his value to pry draft capital out of Toronto.
The Raptors have already been through one major identity shift after their 2018-19 title run, and they’ve now turned the page again. Nick Nurse is gone.
Darko Rajakovic is entering his fourth season as Toronto’s head coach for 2026-27. Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are all out of the picture, while Scottie Barnes has become the face of the franchise.
Then came the summer of 2026 and the biggest swing yet: Kawhi Leonard was sent back to Toronto in the trade return for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and a collection of draft capital.
With Leonard and Barnes now in place, Toronto can reasonably be viewed as an early-season title contender alongside the defending NBA champion New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs. And if the Raptors are thinking about another run, the next question is whether they’d also want another familiar name back in the fold: Powell.
That’s where the Bulls come in. Bryson Graham should at least explore whether Powell’s Toronto ties could be turned into a deal that helps Chicago stockpile picks.
The logic starts with the obvious part: Powell is going into his age-33 season, so he should not be the kind of player who brings back a first-round pick on his own. But the Raptors’ connection to him, plus Leonard’s return, could create the kind of negotiation environment where Toronto is willing to attach real draft value to bring him home.
A hypothetical framework could look like this: at the 2027 NBA trade deadline, the Bulls would send Powell - eligible to be traded after Dec. 15, 2026 - and center Nic Claxton to Toronto in exchange for Jakob Poeltl, R.J. Barrett, and the Raptors’ 2031 first-round pick, along with a 2030 second-round pick and a 2032 second-round pick, both unprotected.
For Toronto, that kind of move would add veteran help now to match Leonard’s two-year extension, while getting Poeltl’s three-year, $84 million deal off the books. For Chicago, the deal would be about collecting future value, not pretending every incoming salary has to be a long-term keeper.
The Bulls’ follow-up plan would be just as important. Barrett would need to be waived immediately, with Chicago absorbing the prorated remainder of his $29.6 million expiring salary as dead money after the trade. Poeltl would also need to be moved or waived before the final season of his contract in 2029-30, according to Spotrac.
There would be plenty for Bulls fans to gripe about, especially the optics of Poeltl’s deal and the fact that he would be entering his age 31 season when 2026-27 begins. But the structure matters.
If Chicago acquired him at the 2027 deadline, the team would only be on the hook for his $19.5 million 2026-27 salary on a prorated basis. And only the first two seasons of his $84 million deal are fully guaranteed, with the third carrying just $5 million in guaranteed money.
That’s the real sell: the Bulls would be taking on $61.8 million guaranteed over two seasons in exchange for three unprotected future draft picks.
It’s not a blockbuster return, but for a team trying to build out its asset base, it’s a start. And if Chicago wants the rebuild to actually move, it has to keep making deals that bring picks back, even when the salary coming the other way looks rough.
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