The Bulls are getting an earlier start than many teams around the league, and their training camp calendar now gives a clear look at how the organization plans to launch a season built around change.
The team announced Friday afternoon that Media Day will take place on September 28, with camp opening the next day at the Advocate Center. From there, the Bulls will work through a full week of practices before the preseason begins.
Media Day should set the tone for the 2026-27 campaign. That’s when the franchise’s top decision-makers and marquee players will face questions about where this team is headed. Bryson Graham has already been direct about the state of the roster and the fact that this is a rebuilding period, but September 28 gives him another chance to reinforce that message and spell out what kind of progress he wants to see in his first full year running things.
The player side of it should be just as telling. No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis figure to draw plenty of attention as they’re asked about fitting into a rebuilding setup. Veterans Norman Powell and Nic Claxton will also be part of that conversation, with leadership likely to be a major theme.
Then comes the part that really matters on the floor. This will be Tiago Splitter’s first training camp in charge, even though he spent nearly all of 2025-26 as the Portland Trail Blazers’ head coach.
It will also be the first camp for Wilson and Dailyn Swain, two rookies expected to play meaningful minutes this season. For both players, this is where roles start to take shape.
The Bulls will also give fans a closer look at the group on October 2, when they hold an open practice at Horner Park in the afternoon. It’s a rare chance to watch the new-look team in a more casual setting before the games start to count.
The preseason slate begins October 7, when the Bulls host the Phoenix Suns at the United Center. That game opens a five-game exhibition stretch that continues with the Memphis Grizzlies on October 9, at the Denver Nuggets on October 11, at the Milwaukee Bucks on October 14, and against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 16.
Bulls training camp schedule: September 28 - Media Day
September 29 - Practice
September 30 - Practice
October 1 - Practice
October 2 - Bulls Open Practice (Horner Park)
October 3 - Practice
October 4 - Practice
October 7 - vs. Phoenix Suns
October 9 - vs. Memphis Grizzlies
October 11 - at Denver Nuggets
October 14 - at Milwaukee Bucks
October 16 - vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
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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 🡒]