The Chicago Bulls are still near the bottom in ESPN’s NBA Future Power Rankings, but the gap between where they are and where some believe they’re headed is getting harder to ignore.
ESPN’s latest rankings, which weigh the next three full seasons, moved Chicago only one spot from No. 28 to No. 27. That leaves the Bulls ahead of just the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings, while the New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards were all ranked above them.
That placement says a lot about how ESPN is viewing the Bulls’ present. The team is in a clear rebuild, and that doesn’t usually translate into a rosy near-term win-loss projection. But it also raises the question of whether Chicago is being undersold after a summer that changed the direction of the franchise.
The Bulls’ front office was overhauled after the 2025-26 campaign, with Bryson Graham taking over as executive vice president of basketball operations. Graham quickly brought in Tiago Splitter as head coach and made it clear the organization is willing to talk openly about rebuilding and player development. That alone marks a major shift in tone.
Chicago also added some real intrigue to the roster. The Bulls paired No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson with former lottery pick Matas Buzelis, giving the team a young duo with plenty of upside if both continue to trend in the right direction.
Josh Giddey, meanwhile, is still only 23 and coming off his best season yet. Tre Jones gives them a respected backup.
Norman Powell is a reigning All-Star. Nic Claxton, at minimum, is a serviceable starting big.
ESPN’s system doesn’t just look at talent, though. It also breaks teams down by Players, Management, Draft, Money and Market. Chicago landed in the top 10 in the last three categories, but the current roster dragged the Bulls down, with the team ranked 27th in players and 25th in new management.
That’s where the debate gets interesting. If the goal is to forecast the future, roster flexibility has to matter too.
The Bulls still own all of their future first-round picks and could create significant cap space next summer if they decide to chase a bigger move. With the lottery odds changing, there’s also less reason for a team to chase the very bottom of the standings just to improve draft position.
None of that means Chicago is about to jump into contender territory overnight. Rebuilds take time, and ESPN’s ranking reflects that reality.
But the Bulls have changed their posture, added young talent and kept their options open. That’s enough to suggest this group may be more appealing than a No. 27 ranking makes it look.
In Other News...
Bulls Still Have One Quiet Roster Decision Left Before Camp
The Bulls have spent the offseason building out the top of the roster, adding Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain, Norman Powell and Nic Claxton as they try to make camp a more competitive setting from the start. With the main group taking shape, the front office still has some housekeeping left to do, and the next small decision on the docket is a familiar one: filling out the end of the roster with a two-way player who can develop without taking up a standard spot.
Chicago already has two players on two-way deals in Jaylin Sellers and Tobe Awaka, and it is expected to bring in competition for a third such opening before training camp. The pool of candidates still includes a mix of free agents and internal options, so this one feels less like a splash and more like the final layer of roster planning, the kind of move that can quietly shape how deep the organization feels once camp gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Front Office Pressure Is Growing For One Clear Reason
Front office rankings are never the kind of thing teams hang on the wall, but they do tend to sharpen the conversation around a franchise when the offseason starts to fade. In a recent look at all 30 NBA front offices, the Bulls were slotted alongside the leagues lagging group, a placement that reflects how little movement has happened to change their competitive outlook. Bryson Grahams group is being judged not just against the standards of one summer, but against how other teams have used theirs to push themselves forward.
The pressure now is less about a single missed move than the larger picture it creates. Teams like the Knicks, Spurs and 76ers are being held up as examples of front offices that have earned more confidence, while Chicago is still looking for the kind of decisive action that changes the conversation. Until that happens, the Bulls will keep hearing the same question attached to every evaluation of their long-term direction: when does the front office finally do enough to get out of the pack? [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Wilson Hype Is Building But Bulls Fans Need To See This First
Caleb Wilsons offseason has already given Bulls fans plenty to latch onto. The No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA draft recently posted a photo of himself working out with LeBron James Sr., a notable image even if these kinds of runs happen often enough for young players who move in the same pro circles. For Chicago, it is another reminder of how much buzz has formed around a prospect the franchise is hoping can become a difference-maker.
Still, the real story with Wilson is not who he shares a gym with in the summer. The Bulls are going to learn far more about him once the NBA season starts and the games count for something, because his long-term value will come from his own development, production and consistency on the floor. The hype is easy to understand for now, but the next step has to come in uniform, not just in workout photos. [Read more 🡒]