The Bulls’ reset has moved fast, and Bryson Graham is already making it look deliberate.
Chicago tore the roster down at the trade deadline, parting with nearly all of its real tradeable pieces and finally walking away from years of middling results. Since 2015, the Bulls have reached the playoffs only twice and won just three postseason games. That kind of run leaves a fan base eager for change, but also wary about who gets trusted to steer the next chapter.
The answer, at least so far, has been Graham. And his first few moves suggest Chicago is thinking about this rebuild the right way.
The draft was a strong start. The Bulls landed Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Dailyn Swain at No. 15, giving the organization two young pieces with clear upside. A future front line built around Wilson and Matas Buzelis is easy to picture, while Swain looks like the sort of wing every contender wants: a possible 3-and-D fit who can scale into a useful role.
What has really pushed Chicago into an interesting spot, though, is what came after the draft.
The new 3-2-1 lottery system changes the math for rebuilding teams. The league now punishes the bottom three records by taking away one of their three lottery balls, and it also tightens the odds for the seven other non play-in teams.
In plain terms, the sweet spot is no longer the absolute bottom. The best path is to be good enough to stay out of the basement, but not good enough to sneak into the Play-In Tournament.
That’s where Nic Claxton and Norman Powell come in.
Claxton brings defensive impact and fast-break playmaking. Powell adds perimeter shooting and a proven offensive punch. Together, they lift Chicago’s floor in a major way, and they also let Wilson and Swain settle into smaller roles as rookies, which should help their development.
Powell also carries a team option next offseason, which gives the Bulls a possible trade chip if they decide he could bring back a strong return at the deadline.
There is still a case to be made that this roster could end up in the Play-In mix, and maybe the Bulls should chase as many wins as possible this season. But Graham’s moves point in a different direction. For now, Chicago looks intent on building the right kind of team for the new lottery landscape, and Claxton and Powell feel like the first real steps in that plan.
In Other News...
Bulls May Finally Have A Path To The Draft Haul Fans Want
The latest ripple from the East has the Bulls thinking a few moves ahead, even if the first domino belongs to Boston and Philadelphia. ESPNs Shams Charania reported the Celtics have agreed to send Jaylen Brown to the 76ers for Paul George and draft picks, a swap that only adds more uncertainty to a conference already reshaping itself around star contracts, future flexibility and the kind of draft capital that can change a franchises timeline in a hurry.
For Chicago, the intrigue is less about the deal itself and more about where it leaves the Bulls if the league keeps turning in that direction. The logic being floated has them eyeing a 2027 offseason window when Philadelphia could be staring at a harder set of choices, with the Bulls potentially able to assemble the kind of salary structure and trade assets that matter in a sweepstakes for a player of that size. It is still projection, not a roadmap, but it is the rare kind of speculation that gives Bulls fans a reason to look past the present and wonder whether the front office can finally get in front of the next big opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Free Agency Feels Familiar Until You See The Bigger Picture
Chicagos free agency opened with the kind of veteran shopping spree that usually makes a team look eager to patch holes fast, but the Bulls appear to be approaching it with a different sort of logic. Bryson Grahams front office has leaned into a long-term rebuilding plan, bringing in Norman Powell and Zach Collins while also selling both of its second-round picks, a sign that the goal is not just to fill out a roster but to preserve flexibility for what comes next.
Powell and Collins fit that idea as movable future assets, with contracts built to keep options open down the road, and the Bulls still have one roster spot to fill. The bigger question is what the next phase looks like if this group functions well enough to stay intact, because the way Chicago is structuring these deals suggests the team wants the ability to keep adjusting at the trade deadline or next summer rather than locking itself into a quick fix now. [Read more 🡒]