The Bulls have money to spend, but that doesn’t mean every available name belongs on their board.
Peyton Watson is the latest example. Chicago entered the offseason with a fresh front office, a new coaching staff, two first-round picks, and one of the league’s strongest spending positions.
Even after making moves, the Bulls still have more cash to work with than most teams. That gives them a lane in the market, but it doesn’t automatically make them a fit for Watson.
The appeal is obvious on paper. Watson and the Denver Nuggets are not aligned on his contract situation, and he’s reportedly weighing the $6 million qualifying offer.
If he goes that route, he would become an unrestricted free agent after next season. It’s a gamble on himself, and it could absolutely work - but it also carries real risk, especially with Aaron Gordon healthy and expected to log heavy minutes.
Chicago can probably beat Denver’s reported $70 million offer. What it shouldn’t do is hand Watson a starting job.
That’s where the fit starts to crack. Giving him that kind of role would come at the expense of Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, two players the Bulls should be prioritizing as part of the future. Those minutes and touches need to go to them, not to a veteran-style stopgap just because the team has cap space.
Watson is not some empty-calorie addition, either. He made a real jump last season when Gordon was out, showing he can impact the game on both ends and putting himself in line for a strong payday.
But that only sharpens the argument for Chicago to be careful. Buzelis and Wilson are the organization’s future, and they should be on the floor as much as possible.
There is a version of this where the Bulls sign Watson and use him as a trade chip. They could start him, let Wilson either play small-ball five or come off the bench, and then try to build his value before the trade deadline.
But that kind of move comes with a cost. Sacrificing a rookie’s development just to maybe flip a player for another first-round pick later is shaky asset management. Wilson needs reps now, and the ceiling, as the source material puts it, is much higher than Watson’s.
The Bulls should absolutely stay active in the market. Rebuilding teams are supposed to be in the mix for major signings and trades. But unless Watson is part of a sign-and-trade that sends him somewhere else, Chicago should probably keep its distance.
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Bennedict Mathurin has at least surfaced in the conversation, with Bryson Graham suddenly part of that discussion, while Reed Sheppard and Bub Carrington also fit the profile of guards the Bulls could reasonably examine. None of it adds up to a confirmed pursuit, and that is the point for now. The front office appears willing to keep its options open, and the next move may come down to which of these names becomes realistic first. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Smith Trade Buzz Could Decide Whether Bulls Add Real Young Value
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If the Bulls do move Smith, the return is the real hinge point. Los Angeles has several pieces that could be discussed in a broader framework, but Chicagos interest is centered on finding a younger player with room to grow and a cleaner path to becoming part of the next version of the roster. For a team trying to turn asset management into actual progress, the difference between a useful trade and a meaningful one may come down to whether the front office can land the kind of upside it has been targeting. [Read more 🡒]