The Bulls’ offseason has been cautious so far, but that doesn’t mean Bryson Graham should be done looking for a swing. And now Chicago has surfaced in a Bennedict Mathurin conversation that could turn into something real if the price keeps sliding.
Mathurin is still stuck in restricted free agency limbo with the Los Angeles Clippers, and The Stein Line first reported that the New Orleans Pelicans had been joined by a mystery team as a possible landing spot for the guard. That mystery team was later identified as the Bulls.
It’s easy to see why that name would come up. Chicago has spent the summer building around young players and veteran placeholders, not chasing a headline-grabbing splash.
Norman Powell arrived on an expiring deal, while Nic Claxton came in on a diminishing two-year contract and cost the Bulls nothing in return. The message has been clear: develop the young core, let Tiago Splitter establish an identity, and give Graham time to evaluate before making bigger moves.
That said, opportunities in the NBA don’t always wait around. If Mathurin’s market has softened, Chicago is the kind of team that can at least listen.
The Bulls also fit the broader profile. They’re in asset-accumulation mode, and that doesn’t have to mean only draft picks.
It can also mean betting on a 24-year-old former lottery pick who already has NBA Finals experience. Mathurin has averaged 16.2 points per game over his first four seasons, and he’s shown he can score on the league’s biggest stage.
He put up 27 points in Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals and followed that with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Game 7.
Of course, there’s a catch. Chicago would still need the cost to make sense, and Graham has been careful enough this offseason that a reckless move would be out of character.
The Bulls are not in a position to start tossing around first-round picks or future flexibility. If Mathurin is really available, it sounds more like the kind of deal where Chicago would need the price to have dropped sharply before getting serious.
That’s where the sign-and-trade angle comes in. An offer sheet is possible in theory, but the Bulls don’t have the spending power to make that path especially convincing, and the Clippers could match anyway. A sign-and-trade would be the cleaner route, especially if the market keeps cooling.
The structure matters, though. Those deals have strict rules, including a contract that runs at least three to four years.
Salary matching can also get complicated, especially if Mathurin’s next deal rises more than 20.0 percent above his previous salary. In that case, the Base Year Compensation rule would kick in.
Since Mathurin is owed roughly $9.2 million this season, and his next deal is likely in the $12-15 million range, the Clippers would be able to use that figure as the incoming salary.
That’s why a package built around role players like Jalen Smith, Tre Jones, or Isaac Okoro, plus a trio of second-round picks, starts to sound plausible if the Clippers decide they’d rather move on than keep waiting. Chicago has a comically large stash of second-rounders, and that gives them some room to maneuver if the price gets low enough.
Still, there’s no guarantee the Clippers would want to let Mathurin go for little in return. They’re rebuilding too, and keeping a 24-year-old scorer who can get hot from deep and attack the rim may make more sense than taking a modest package.
Fit is another question entirely. Mathurin is a polarizing player because so much of his value comes from on-ball scoring.
He can hit threes, but his best work comes when he’s creating off the bounce and getting to the free-throw line. That doesn’t scream perfect fit next to Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, and there’s even an argument that Dailyn Swain and Mathurin overlap in some ways.
But Chicago may not be in the business of worrying too much about that right now. Graham’s job is to collect talent, and Mathurin brings size, athleticism, a high motor, and real NBA experience. He runs the floor hard, plays with energy, and checks a lot of the boxes the Bulls have seemed to value in their recent additions.
If the cost keeps dropping, Chicago has to at least be in the conversation.
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