The Bulls may be headed into the season with a rebuild that finally has a clear purpose, and that could change a few familiar names in the process.
Elias Schuster of NBA on SI singled out Norman Powell, Josh Giddey and Leonard Miller as players whose roles could look different this year in Chicago. Powell is the most intriguing case.
He was an All-Star last season and put up 21.2 points for Miami, but the Bulls are not operating like a team with title-or-bust pressure. Instead, they’re trying to develop Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, which could mean Powell takes on fewer shots and settles into more of a support role.
Giddey’s situation is different, but just as important. The previous front office handed him a four-year, $100 million deal and clearly treated him like a cornerstone. The current regime didn’t make that bet, so this season may be as much about showing he belongs as it is about anything else.
Miller might be the one on the rise. After coming over from Minnesota, he averaged nearly 15 points and 7.3 rebounds over his final 18 games last season. At 22, he fits the kind of player Chicago should be eager to see more of.
So the Bulls may lose a lot. But for once, the losing might actually mean something.
Brooklyn’s rebuild has its own little stock market, and NBA on SI’s Jed Katz laid out a few names to watch.
Egor Dëmin and Day’Ron Sharpe are the buys. Terance Mann is the sell. Julius Randle is the hold.
That breakdown makes sense. Dëmin averaged 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a rookie, and Year Two should come with a lot more runway. Sharpe is set to get his shot as the starting center now that Nic Claxton has left for Chicago.
Mann, meanwhile, could get crowded out by Brooklyn’s wave of younger guards. Randle is the more complicated piece.
He’s shown he can run an offense, but the fit has turned messy before when everything isn’t lined up just right. Now he’s on a rebuilding Nets team with Michael Porter Jr., which at least gives Brooklyn a little more intrigue than your standard teardown.
You don’t have to buy every stock in the basket.
Sacramento is another team where the question isn’t whether things might change - it’s how fast.
Will Zimmerle of NBA on SI looked at when the Kings might decide it’s time to pull the plug after last season’s 22-win finish. Sacramento still has veterans like Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Malik Monk, but the direction is obvious: younger players are coming, and if the losses mount early, the team could speed up that transition.
Last season, the Kings didn’t really pivot toward development until about the 60-game mark. This time, that call could come sooner if the season goes off the rails.
Doug Christie is part of that picture, too. Zimmerle pointed out that Christie is entering his second full season with a team option for next year and no long-term security.
The organization’s recent track record doesn’t exactly scream patience. Mike Brown was fired after 31 games. Luke Walton lasted 17.
That doesn’t mean Christie is on the hot seat before training camp even opens.
But if Sacramento starts 6-19, the warning signs will feel awfully familiar.
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Williams has not lived up to the expectations that once surrounded him, but the Bulls are still treating him like a player with time to change his trajectory. Noa Essengue also fits into that larger evaluation, though his path is more about long-term readiness and eventual opportunity than immediate help, leaving Chicagos bench picture and the next wave of rotation decisions very much unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Giddey Just Became The Bulls' Most Complicated Fit
Josh Giddeys first season in Chicago gave the Bulls plenty to like. He averaged 17.0 points and 9.1 assists per game in 2025-26, and his three-point shooting ticked up after he arrived, giving the front office a version of him that looked more comfortable and more scalable than the one it inherited. For a team still shaping its identity around a younger core, that kind of production matters, especially from a player who can organize an offense and keep the ball moving.
The fit question now is less about whether Giddey can help and more about what role best fits the group around him. Chicago has started building around Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, with Norman Powell and Nic Claxton also in the mix, and that changes the amount of creation available at the point of attack. Giddeys overall metrics on both ends suggest the Bulls are still trying to balance his strengths with the demands of a more layered offensive system, which leaves his place in the pecking order very much worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Still Have A Chance To Turn These Misses Into A Win
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Bennedict Mathurin and Jonathan Kuminga are off the board, and their decisions only sharpen the question of how Chicago can still turn a couple of missed swings into something useful. The Bulls are watching two clubs deal with salary-cap pressure and a few crowded decisions of their own, which could create the kind of opening that rewards patience if Chicago decides to act. [Read more 🡒]