Leonard Miller has put the Bulls in a familiar spot: encouraged, intrigued, and not ready to overcommit.
On Sunday in Denver, Miller led Chicago with 26 points in a reserve role during the Bulls’ third preseason game. The Bulls still came up short in a 133-128 loss to the Nuggets, but the score didn’t slow the buzz. By the time the game was over, the online conversation had already turned into a familiar refrain: “the Bulls must extend Leonard Miller.”
That reaction makes sense on the surface. Chicago did not pass on Miller’s 2026-27 $2.4 million team option, and instead exercised it during the 2026 NBA offseason.
That decision locked in his salary for 2026-27 and set him up for 2027 NBA unrestricted free agency. In other words, the Bulls chose flexibility now and kept the rest of the timeline open.
For now, Miller’s preseason has been eye-catching enough to make fans dream bigger. But preseason heat and regular-season staying power are not the same thing, and the Bulls know that as well as anyone.
Another G League Ignite product once generated this same kind of excitement in the preseason: Matas Buzelis. His 2025-26 NBA regular season, however, was far more muted.
That’s the caution flag here. Miller is absolutely giving Chicago something to think about, but one strong preseason does not make a breakout season. He is a product of the now-defunct NBA G League Ignite program, as is Buzelis, and that developmental pipeline produced 13 players selected in the NBA Draft between 2021 and 2024.
Some of those careers have looked very different from others. Atlanta Hawks forward Dyson Daniels has become the success story of the group, while Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jonathan Kuminga have had more uneven paths. Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson entered the league with plenty of pre-draft debate attached to him, and his career has largely shifted from upside to bench-player reality.
Miller’s own résumé asks for patience, too. He has played 49 total games across two-and-a-half seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and added 27 post-2026 NBA trade deadline Bulls games in the stretch of the season the source describes as being attached to a cartoon mouse.
So yes, Miller is having a Bulls moment. But the stronger case right now is not that Chicago has already found a finished building block. It’s that Miller needs to earn real rotation minutes and a long-term roster spot over the course of the entire 2026-27 NBA regular season.
If he does that in Chicago, the Bulls will have something to work with. They may also have a player who looks very tradeable ahead of the 2027 NBA trade deadline.
In Other News...
Matas Buzelis May Be The Bulls Development Story That Matters Most
Matas Buzelis has gone from a promising piece in Chicago to one of the most important names in the Bulls long-term picture, even with Caleb Wilson drawing plenty of attention around the league. Buzelis growth has shown up in the way he plays, not just in the way he looks on a roster, as he has become a more complete option the Bulls can lean on while trying to raise their ceiling this season.
The reason his development matters so much is that Chicago does not just need another young player who can help in stretches. It needs Buzelis to keep trending toward being a difference-maker, the kind of player who can shape wins now and eventually force his way into the All-Star conversation. For a team looking for stability and upside at the same time, his leap may wind up being the storyline that matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Tre Jones May Be More Important To This Bulls Rebuild Than Fans Realize
Tre Jones was back in the Bulls rotation in a preseason game after sitting out the first two because of a hip issue, and even in a short stint he showed why Chicago views him as more than just a fill-in behind the main guards. Playing as the backup point guard, Jones gave the second unit a steadier tempo, and head coach Tiago Splitter has already pointed to that part of his game as a key piece of how the Bulls want to operate this season.
What makes Jones stand out in a rebuild like this is the less visible work: helping young players settle in, keeping the group organized and reinforcing the identity the front office wants to build around. His first preseason appearance was brief, but it still offered a reminder that Chicago is counting on him for connective tissue as much as box-score production, and his value may end up showing up most in the way the entire bench functions when he is on the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Suddenly Have A Trade Opening Fans Should Be Watching
With the Bulls clearly operating in rebuild mode, their front office is still leaving the door open for movement as the season unfolds. Executive vice president of basketball operations Byrson Graham said Chicago remains willing to explore trades, including salary-dump deals, and the roster flexibility plus financial exceptions on hand give the team a real chance to stay involved if the right situation develops.
One potential lane could come through the center market, where the Bulls have several bigs on expiring contracts that could draw interest. Philadelphia is among the teams worth monitoring, since its need for frontcourt depth has become more pressing, but any conversation there would have to work around the 76ers cap situation and the kind of deal structure they can realistically take on. [Read more 🡒]