The Chicago Bulls have enough on their plate next season without forcing Isaac Okoro into a bigger role than he can really handle. With Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis needing development time and bigger organizational questions looming, the cleanest path with Okoro may be to treat him less like a rotation centerpiece and more like a trade asset.
Okoro is entering a contract year and is set to make $11.8 million this upcoming season. Last year in Chicago, he didn’t contribute much, and there’s little reason for the Bulls to sink major minutes into him now. The smarter move is to let his expiring deal do the work for them.
Chicago should not attach draft picks just to move him, but the contract still has value. If another team wants to clear out more money down the road and can stomach taking back an expiring deal, Okoro becomes a useful piece in that kind of transaction.
What Okoro brings at his best is defense on the perimeter. He can bother opposing wings and help shut things down on that end.
The problem is everything else. Offensively, he has been close to a zero, and that’s the generous reading.
The biggest issue is his three-point shooting, or lack of it. Defenses don’t have to respect him out there, which makes it easier to load up elsewhere and double. That limits how much he can help a team on that side of the floor.
That’s why his contract may be more valuable than his minutes. An expiring salary can be a real trade chip, especially for teams trying to line up their finances for next summer. The Bulls are in a solid position financially already, with no massive payroll commitments and only three players making more than $20 million.
If Okoro can be part of a deal that brings back a player with longer-term upside, Chicago should absolutely explore it. The Bulls could look at teams like the Orlando Magic, the New York Knicks, or the Cleveland Cavaliers, all of whom could have reasons to move money around. For a roster that may need to keep its options open, Okoro’s expiring contract is one of the more useful tools they have.
In Other News...
Patrick Williams Just Got One More Chance With The Bulls
With the Bulls already thinking ahead to the 2026-27 season, the focus is shifting from quick fixes to figuring out which pieces can still grow into real rotation players. Tiago Splitters role as a development-minded coach matters here, because this roster has several young or still-forming pieces that need clarity, and Patrick Williams remains one of the biggest names in that conversation.
Williams has not lived up to the expectations that once surrounded him, but the Bulls are still treating him like a player with time to change his trajectory. Noa Essengue also fits into that larger evaluation, though his path is more about long-term readiness and eventual opportunity than immediate help, leaving Chicagos bench picture and the next wave of rotation decisions very much unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Giddey Just Became The Bulls' Most Complicated Fit
Josh Giddeys first season in Chicago gave the Bulls plenty to like. He averaged 17.0 points and 9.1 assists per game in 2025-26, and his three-point shooting ticked up after he arrived, giving the front office a version of him that looked more comfortable and more scalable than the one it inherited. For a team still shaping its identity around a younger core, that kind of production matters, especially from a player who can organize an offense and keep the ball moving.
The fit question now is less about whether Giddey can help and more about what role best fits the group around him. Chicago has started building around Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, with Norman Powell and Nic Claxton also in the mix, and that changes the amount of creation available at the point of attack. Giddeys overall metrics on both ends suggest the Bulls are still trying to balance his strengths with the demands of a more layered offensive system, which leaves his place in the pecking order very much worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Still Have A Chance To Turn These Misses Into A Win
The Bulls missed out on two free-agent targets, but there is still a clear line of thinking behind the way they have operated. Chicago has leaned into roster and financial flexibility under executive Bryson Graham, a cautious approach that can feel frustrating in the moment but is designed to keep options open as the market keeps shifting.
Bennedict Mathurin and Jonathan Kuminga are off the board, and their decisions only sharpen the question of how Chicago can still turn a couple of missed swings into something useful. The Bulls are watching two clubs deal with salary-cap pressure and a few crowded decisions of their own, which could create the kind of opening that rewards patience if Chicago decides to act. [Read more 🡒]