For the Bulls, the wrong kind of season in 2026-27 could land them right in the NBA’s new version of basketball purgatory.
The league’s revamped draft lottery system is designed to make tanking more painful. Under the new setup, teams with the bottom-three records in their conference get only two lottery balls.
Clubs that miss the playoffs but finish outside that group get three. The seventh and eighth seeds in the Play-In Tournament receive one ball each.
That creates a messy debate for Chicago. Some would argue the Bulls shouldn’t chase the “relegation zone” at all, especially with the league no longer allowing top-five picks in three straight years and with the 2028 draft class projected to be stronger than the 2027 group. Others would say that, while the team is still rebuilding, maximizing the chance at a top-five pick is the better play.
No verdict is needed here. What matters is that Chicago could absolutely drift into that bottom-three group if things go sideways. If the Bulls want to avoid that, three developments need to break their way.
Caleb Wilson has to look like a real two-way piece right away.
His upside is obvious: long, explosive, and capable of impacting the game defensively while bringing a downhill offensive skill set that most prospects simply don’t have. But the question is what his baseline looks like when his rookie season starts.
If the 3-point shot isn’t falling with any consistency, the offensive floor gets shaky fast. He still looks a little awkward handling the ball, and his frame needs time to fill out. Without Wilson becoming a dependable downhill scorer on a regular basis, Chicago’s offense could have a hard time staying afloat.
At least early on, the Bulls’ main offensive options figure to be Matas Buzelis, Norman Powell, and Josh Giddey. But by mid-season, they need Wilson contributing in a bigger way if the team is going to resemble a complete attack.
Buzelis may be the most important swing factor on the roster.
He’s also in line for extension eligibility in the 2027 offseason, which only raises the stakes. Last season, he took a major step forward, posting 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while shooting 34.9% from three. He grew more comfortable attacking downhill and finding his spots, and even with a small dip in perimeter efficiency, there were still encouraging signs from deep.
How he fits with Wilson will be worth watching, especially when it comes to downhill touches. But Buzelis doesn’t need that to be the key to his next jump. If his outside shot becomes more reliable and he keeps giving the offense the same secondary playmaking he showed last season, he could make the leap into star territory in 2026-27.
The big thing is not volume so much as efficiency and shot selection.
Then there’s Tiago Splitter, who may end up determining whether the Bulls have a real rotation or a mess.
Splitter’s developmental background in both Europe and the NBA gives Chicago reason for optimism, but the back end of the roster is packed with uncertainty. Rob Dillingham, Patrick Williams, Dailyn Swain, Noa Essengue, and Leonard Miller all bring major questions.
Is Rob Dillingham an NBA-caliber guard? Does Patrick Williams have anything left in the tank?
Was Dailyn Swain's horrid Summer League performance any indication of what we'll see from him during his rookie campaign? Do Noa Essengue or Leonard Miller earn enough trust to even crack the rotation in the first place?
The Bulls can move on from most of their short-term contracts next offseason, but for now they need every one of those players placed in the right spots on both ends of the floor. That’s the only way to get a clear read on what’s actually there.
If Splitter nails it, Chicago could find a surprisingly useful bench. If he doesn’t, the rotation could unravel quickly and leave the Bulls staring straight at a bottom-three finish.
In Other News...
Bulls May Have A Jalen Smith Decision Worth Watching
The Bulls could end up with a decision worth monitoring if Minnesota starts hunting for frontcourt help. After moving Naz Reid in the LaMelo Ball deal, the Timberwolves have a clearer need for a big who can stretch the floor and rebound behind Rudy Gobert, and Jalen Smith fits that general profile well enough to surface in trade chatter. For Chicago, that puts a useful role player in the middle of an idea that is less about a splash and more about how teams value spacing, size and roster fit when the margins get tight.
One proposed framework would send a wing with real shot-making value to Chicago, along with a future second-round asset, in exchange for Smith. The wrinkle is that Minnesota's roster math is getting harder to ignore, especially with Donte DiVincenzo's injury complicating what the Timberwolves can realistically prioritize. If the Bulls are willing to listen, Smith becomes the sort of movable piece that can shape a bigger deal without ever being the headline. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Fans Have Reason To Remember Michael Sweetney Today
Michael Sweetney, who spent two seasons with the Bulls after being taken ninth overall by the Knicks in the 2003 NBA Draft, is being remembered by Chicago fans today. Long before he arrived in the Bulls rotation, Sweetney had already built a reputation at Georgetown, and he brought that sturdy interior game to Chicago during the 2005-06 season.
For Bulls fans, his time in town may still feel tied to one especially productive three-game stretch on the teams annual road trip, when he gave the roster a useful inside presence. It was not a long stay in Chicago, but it was the kind of brief run that tends to stick with a fan base, especially when a players career and life leave behind a broader sense of loss. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Herro Could Force A Bulls Debate Fans Didnt Expect
Tyler Herros name has started to sound like the kind of hypothetical that can pull a front office in two directions at once. For Chicago, the appeal is obvious enough: a guard who can score and help create for others could slide into a roster that has pieces built to work around that kind of shot-making, and his presence would immediately sharpen the conversation about what this team really needs next.
Still, the Bulls would not be weighing a simple basketball fit. Any serious move in Herros direction would come with questions about how much value they want to attach to a player who draws defensive attention of his own, and how committed they would be to the price of keeping him around if the deal ever got that far. It is the kind of debate that can reshape a teams priorities before it ever reaches the trade table. [Read more 🡒]