The Bulls’ new direction is already creating ripple effects, and Josh Giddey may be one of the first names caught in the current.
Chicago has turned the page with a new front office and a new voice on the bench, which means the old guard no longer has the same protection it once did. Matas Buzelis remains a clear keeper, and Noa Essengue is also viewed as part of the future, but beyond that, the roster is far less settled. Even veterans who seemed stable before now have to be viewed through a different lens - Giddey included.
That’s why Dailyn Swain’s Summer League usage matters. According to Bulls insider Will Gottlieb, Swain will spend stretches handling the ball, with Gottlieb posting: "Dailyn Swain says he’s going to be on the ball quite a bit in Summer League and beyond," he shared on X.
That doesn’t automatically make Swain the Bulls’ point guard when the games count. He may not even crack the starting five. But the organization is clearly giving him a real runway, and that says something about how Thiago Splitter wants this team to function.
Swain’s game still looks better suited to life off the ball. He can make plays for others, and those reps should help sharpen his vision and handle, but his strength is more as a slasher and finisher than as a full-time initiator. Even so, Chicago is clearly interested in seeing how far he can go with more responsibility.
That part of the equation is where Giddey enters the picture. Multiple ball-handlers don’t necessarily help him, especially after he struggled alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and played his best when he was the main playmaker.
The Bulls do not have to move on from him, either. He’s still young, and even if he’s a little ahead of the team’s timeline, his passing and rebounding could still make him one of the more useful pieces on the roster.
But this is a rebuilding team, and rebuilding teams have to stay flexible. If the right offer comes along, Chicago should be ready to act. The source article suggests Giddey could be worth at least a first-round pick, and that kind of return may end up meaning more to the 2026-27 Bulls than what he provides on the floor right now.
Swain, meanwhile, was a polarizing pick when the Bulls made it, but a bigger role could change that quickly. Summer League always comes with a warning label, yet after years of draft disappointments, this one may feel bigger to Bulls fans than it should.
In Other News...
Bulls Just Got Their First Real Read On Tiago Splitters Tone
Tiago Splitter has only just started steering the Bulls Summer League group, but the early tone is already clear. With the first few practices and games serving as his introduction, Chicagos new voice has leaned into a tough-minded approach built around rebounding and defensive effort, the kind of baseline identity teams often talk about before they actually have to live it.
For a pair of rookies trying to make their first impression, Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain have already gotten a read on how Splitter wants things done. Both have pointed to his seriousness and his focus on winning and development, the sort of coaching style that can feel demanding at first but also gives young players a direct sense of where they stand as the Bulls begin shaping a culture around him. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Fans Will Have One Big Reaction To This Blockbuster Return
A sprawling four-team trade that had been taking shape around the league is now official, with the Timberwolves, Hornets, Nets and Bulls all moving pieces in one transaction for salary-matching purposes. Minnesota landed LaMelo Ball, Josh Green and the draft rights to Isaiah Evans, Charlotte added Naz Reid, Mouhamadou Gueye, the draft rights to Matteo Spagnolo, multiple future draft picks and pick swap rights, and Brooklyn brought in Julius Randle along with the draft rights to Joshua Jefferson.
For Chicago, the deal also brings a major new frontcourt piece into the fold, and it gives the Bulls a clear reason to pay close attention to how the rest of the roster is shaped around him. Nets general manager Sean Marks said parting with Nic Claxton was not easy and praised his seven seasons with Brooklyn, a reminder that this was not just another line on a transaction sheet but a move with real weight on multiple sides. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Finally Look Coherent But One Roster Question Still Looms
After a busy summer of roster reshaping, the Bulls at least look like a team with a plan. The additions of Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain, Nic Claxton and Norman Powell have given Chicago a much clearer identity on paper, and the early position-by-position projection points to a lineup built around size, length and two-way versatility under executive vice president Bryson Graham.
The bigger question now is how all of those pieces fit once the rotation tightens. Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis are expected to be central to the next phase, while Jalen Smith and the new arrivals give the front office more options than it had a year ago. Chicago has spent the offseason chasing a more coherent blend of athletes who can defend and switch, but the real test will come when the Bulls have to decide which of those promising pieces can actually stay on the floor when games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]