The Bulls came into the offseason with a messy hand to play, and Norman Powell might be the move that ends up looking smartest.
Chicago’s old front office had already torn the roster down by the trade deadline, leaving Bryson Graham with a group that was badly put together but also carrying valuable draft capital. From there, the Bulls started trying to patch things in their own way: drafting Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain, signing Powell, and trading for Nic Claxton.
That doesn’t mean the Bulls are trying to jump straight back into the playoff picture. The better path for 2026-27 is to figure out what talent is actually on the roster while also working within the NBA’s new 3-2-1 lottery system, which makes falling to the very bottom of the standings less appealing than it used to be.
Powell fits that plan perfectly. His two-year, $44 million deal could wind up being one of the offseason’s best values.
What makes him so useful is that he raises the baseline of the roster right away. The old-fashioned tank may be fading around the league, or at least changing shape, because teams no longer have the same incentive to chase the basement for months at a time.
For Chicago, the smarter move is to give Caleb Wilson and the rest of the young core real support and a cleaner offensive framework. Powell helps deliver that.
He spent 58 games with the Miami Heat last season and put up 21.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per night while hitting 38% of his three-point tries. He’s a shooter first, and that matters. His spacing should open the floor for Wilson and Matas Buzelis as they work through their downhill touches.
Powell also gives Josh Giddey something he hasn’t really had in Chicago: a proven veteran perimeter shooter next to him in the backcourt. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu could make shots from deep, but both were inconsistent from game to game. Powell’s volume scoring should let Giddey ease into a more playmaking-focused role and help the offense settle into something more stable.
And if the fit doesn’t last, the Bulls should still be in good shape.
Powell’s contract gives Chicago options, which is exactly what a rebuilding team needs. Teams hunting for a starting-level backcourt piece or a bench scorer who can stretch the floor will have interest, and the team option makes him even easier to move if the Bulls choose that route.
There are several possible outcomes. If Powell doesn’t click, Chicago could keep him into the offseason, pick up the team option, and use him as expiring salary in 2027-28.
If he thrives, the Bulls might decide his value to the team and to Wilson’s growth is too important to give up right away. And if Chicago finds itself in Play-In Tournament territory by the deadline, moving Powell could still make sense if the front office wants to stay committed to the rebuild.
That’s the real appeal here: the Bulls have flexibility, and Powell gives them a lot of it. For a team entering a rebuild, that’s no small thing.
In Other News...
Matas Buzelis Has One Big Offensive Question Under Tiago Splitter
Matas Buzelis is stepping into his next chapter with the Bulls still trying to define what kind of scorer he can become, and the conversation around his game is getting more specific. On the Cousins Podcast, Buzelis talked about how his role has been shaped before, and how new head coach Tiago Splitter could open the door to more versatility for a young forward who is still learning where his scoring game can have the most impact.
The midrange shot sits at the center of that discussion. Buzelis has made clear he sees value in the middle of the floor as more than just an old-school option, viewing it as a way to keep defenders honest and expand what he can do off the dribble. For the Bulls, the question is whether that part of his game becomes a real piece of his development or stays something he only talks about in theory. [Read more 🡒]
Dennis Rodmans Bulls Impact Was Even Bigger Than Fans Remember
Dennis Rodman arrived in Chicago in October 1995 and immediately changed the way the Bulls could play around their stars. In a three-season run that lined up with three championships, he gave Phil Jackson something the roster had not always had enough of before: relentless rebounding, a wider margin for error on the glass and the chance to turn stops into fast-break chances. He also fit neatly alongside Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan, not by scoring, but by doing the dirty work that kept possessions alive and possessions ending the other way.
What often gets lost in the nostalgia is how steady that influence was from year to year. Rodman did not just help the Bulls win, he helped define the style of those teams, piling up boards at a level that put him among the leagues most dominant rebounders and giving Chicago a different kind of edge when the game got physical. For a franchise that tends to be remembered through its scorers, Rodmans value was the kind that only becomes clearer with distance. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Should Ignore The Obvious Flyer For A Better Young Fit
Cameron Whitmore has quickly become a familiar name around Chicago after being waived from his rookie-scale deal, and it is easy to see why Bulls fans would circle a 21-year-old wing as a low-cost swing on upside. He fits the broad profile of the kind of young, athletic addition teams chase this time of year, especially for a roster that can always use more size and energy on the wing.
Still, if Chicago is serious about adding a young player who already has some NBA experience, the cleaner argument may be to look elsewhere rather than simply take the obvious free-agent path. One intriguing option is Memphis forward GG Jackson II, who is also 21 but brings a bit more height and has already shown more in actual game action, giving the Bulls a more developed bet if they want a youthful piece with a track record rather than just a fresh lottery ticket. [Read more 🡒]