The Bulls have one roster spot left, and Victor Oladipo makes a lot of sense for it.
Bryson Graham has spent one summer remaking Chicago’s roster, blending youth and veteran presence in a hurry. He used the draft to bring in Caleb Wilson, who is described as “like, really promising,” and Dailyn Swain.
He added 27-year-old Nic Claxton and brought back Zach Collins to handle the center rotation. He also landed 33-year-old Norman Powell in one of the offseason’s biggest surprises and picked up forward Leonard Miller’s team option.
Even after all that work, the guard group still looks thin. Josh Giddey, Tre Jones and Powell are the only proven names there, while Swain and Rob Dillingham aren’t dependable yet. That matters even more if Chicago’s top priority this season is developing Wilson and Matas Buzelis.
That’s where Oladipo comes in.
The 34-year-old hasn’t played in The League since the 2022-23 season, but he has made it clear he wants another shot. His career has been derailed by a long run of injuries after his breakout 2017-18 season with the Indiana Pacers, when he earned his first all-star nod and drew MVP and Defensive Player of the Year votes. The setbacks started with a right quad rupture in January of 2019, then came the bubble in 2020, another quad tear in 2021, and finally a torn patellar tendon in his left knee in April of 2023.
That sequence could have ended his NBA run. Oladipo, though, is still pushing.
In a Players’ Tribune piece titled "A Letter to NBA GMs", he wrote, in part, "To say to any GM who’s willing to listen: I believe my body is finally right. I believe I still have GREAT (and more importantly, WINNING) basketball in front of me.
I believe I can be a valuable contributor to an NBA locker room. And what I’m asking for right now is an opportunity to prove it."
Chicago should think about being the team that gives it to him.
Oladipo has been linked most often to the Miami Heat, the team he last played for in 2023. But Miami is now in title-or-bust territory after trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a 34-year-old trying to return after three years away doesn’t exactly line up with that urgency.
The Bulls, on the other hand, could use what he still brings. They need another ball-handler, and they need another voice.
Oladipo wouldn’t need a starting job. He’d just need a place on the roster, and Chicago could offer him one more opportunity while getting a veteran leader and a backup floor general in return.
For a young locker room built around players like Wilson and Buzelis, that kind of presence has value. If there’s still anything left in Oladipo’s game, the Bulls would get that too.
In Other News...
Bulls Rebuild Is Getting More Attention Than Fans Expected
The Bulls are drawing a little more league-wide attention than many fans probably expected entering the season. Chicago was originally slated for three nationally televised games, but the schedule has since expanded as the rebuild has put the team back into a more visible spotlight.
Along with the added exposure, the broadcast booth is set for a change after Stacey Kings departure, with the Bulls planning a rotating group of Robbie Hummel, Scott Williams, Kendall Gill and Will Perdue to handle the color commentary role. It is another reminder that this season is about more than wins and losses for Chicago, with the teams on-court reset and its television presence both still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Matas Buzelis Just Got A New Bar For His Bulls Future
Amen Thompsons rise in Houston has created a new measuring stick for young wings around the league, and the Bulls have a direct reason to pay attention. After a breakout 2025-26 season that saw Thompson post 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game, the Rockets rewarded him with a massive new extension, underscoring how quickly a versatile two-way player can climb into max-level territory.
For Chicago, the relevance goes beyond the dollar figure. Matas Buzelis is heading toward the same kind of long-term decision window, and Thompsons season offers a clear benchmark for what the Bulls will be weighing when that time comes. If Buzelis keeps trending upward, the comparison will only get louder, because the bar for a young frontcourt cornerstone just moved. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Could Benefit From Boston's Next Costly Backcourt Decision
Bostons roster shuffle has already changed the shape of its long-term books after dealing Jaylen Brown for Paul George, and the ripple effects could eventually open a lane for Chicago. For a Bulls team still sorting out the right backcourt mix around Josh Giddey, Payton Pritchard stands out as the kind of guard who could fit a little cleaner than the usual options: steady, smart, and capable of working without needing the ball all the time.
The bigger question is whether Boston lets that chance even get to the market. Pritchard is on a path toward a contract crossroads next fall, and the Celtics may have to decide whether he remains part of their future or becomes a moveable piece in a tighter cap picture. If Chicago is still hunting for a better guard pairing, especially if Norman Powell is moved, Pritchard is the sort of name that could suddenly make a lot of sense. [Read more 🡒]