The Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls have been circling each other all offseason, and the idea still feels like one that’s waiting to happen.
On Wednesday, ClutchPoint’s Brett Siegel reported that newly acquired Bulls guard Buddy Hield had been under consideration by the Lakers during the 2026 NBA offseason, even though that move never materialized. That report came on the heels of earlier chatter that the Lakers had interest in Bulls forward Jalen Smith. Put those pieces together, and it starts to look like the two teams should finally get serious about a deal that helps both sides heading into the 2026-27 season.
For the Bulls, the more useful question now is what kind of return makes sense from Los Angeles. After Bryson Graham traded Rob Dillingham to bring in Hield, and after the team’s 2026 media day comments, Chicago’s direction looks a little clearer. One name that probably should not be part of the conversation: Dalton Knecht.
Earlier in the offseason, there was at least some logic to the Bulls taking a cheap developmental swing on Knecht, a 6’6” shooter with enough length to intrigue. But after Graham’s move to send Dillingham out in the Hield deal, Chicago probably doesn’t have much appetite for another project.
The same goes for Jaden Hardy and Bronny James. Both are shot-makers, but they don’t really fit the organizational clarity Graham appears to be chasing.
What does fit? Veteran help.
Graham’s stated priority is to put competent players around his rookies Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain, while keeping the development spotlight on Wilson, Swain, the two-way contract group, and maybe Noa Essengue. That points the Bulls toward experienced pieces rather than more young bets.
Matisse Thybulle stands out as the kind of target that would make sense. He fits the SLAP philosophy of roster building, and his résumé is built on defense. At his best with the Philadelphia 76ers, Thybulle earned two NBA All-Defensive Team selections, in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and brought the kind of Alex Caruso-type defensive impact that can change the tone of a bench unit or locker room.
If the Bulls wanted to pursue that route, one hypothetical structure would have Chicago send Jalen Smith to the Lakers for Thybulle, plus an unspecified amount of draft capital, with Dalton Knecht included strictly for salary-matching purposes.
In that scenario, Knecht’s contract would be guaranteed only for the 2026-27 season, and the Bulls would waive him right away.
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