Jalen Smith’s grip on a Bulls role just got a lot firmer.
Chicago had been linked to Jock Landale at the start of free agency, and that kind of move would have complicated Smith’s standing in a frontcourt that’s already being reshaped around Nic Claxton, Caleb Wilson and Noa Essengue. But Landale is headed back to the Atlanta Hawks on a one-year, $14 million deal, and that changes the picture for Smith in a meaningful way.
The Bulls’ offseason has already pushed the roster in a new direction. After the trade-deadline teardown and the arrival of a new front office and head coach, Chicago has been busy rebuilding its front line.
Claxton was acquired before the 2026 NBA Draft, Wilson was taken fourth overall, and Essengue should see some minutes at power forward in his second season. That’s a very different frontcourt than the one the Bulls started with.
Landale would have made sense as a backup big behind Claxton. He logged a larger role with the Memphis Grizzlies and then the Hawks in 2025-26 after a limited stint with the Houston Rockets in 2024-25, finishing the season with 10.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists across 68 games while shooting 38.3% from three. He’s not exactly a pure stretch center, but paired with Claxton, he could have given Chicago real offensive punch off the bench.
That possibility also would have put Smith in a tougher spot.
Smith’s two seasons in Chicago have been uneven, and his numbers in 2025-26 reflect that: 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 53 games, with 48.3% shooting from the field. He doesn’t fit cleanly as a full-time center, and with Wilson now in the mix, there isn’t much room for him at power forward either. If Landale had landed in Chicago, Smith’s $9 million expiring contract could have become a useful trade piece.
Instead, the market at center has thinned out quickly. Isaiah Hartenstein is no longer available after his extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and DeAndre Ayton is off the board too. The top names left are Nikola Vucevic and Mitchell Robinson, and neither looks like an obvious match for the Bulls.
For now, that opens a cleaner lane for Smith. Unless something unexpected happens, he suddenly has a real shot to settle into a defined backup center role for Chicago in 2026-27.
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