The Chicago Bulls’ new era is already packed with moving parts, and the next month will start putting all of it on the floor.
With the season opener against Toronto still 30 days away, the calendar is about to tighten fast. Media Day is set for September 28, and Tiago Splitter will then oversee his first training camp with the Bulls.
That follows a summer overhaul that brought in a new lead executive and head coach, both of whom have been open about the fact that this is a rebuild. For now, the focus is on laying the groundwork.
There is still plenty for fans to watch once the work begins. Matas Buzelis is expected to keep climbing, Josh Giddey is in line for another step forward, and No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson sits at the center of it all. The source material describes Wilson as the franchise’s most tantalizing prospect since Derrick Rose, and he is the one who could push this rebuild into a different gear.
One of the summer’s more surprising additions was Norman Powell, and Powell has now explained why the Bulls weren’t on his radar when free agency started. In a YouTube video documenting his offseason, he said Chicago came into the picture later than expected.
“It was a team I wasn’t expecting to be a part of during free agency. When they were giving me a list of names, they got added into the mix probably the third or fourth phone call," Powell said in the YouTube video.
"I was shocked. I was surprised just because of the youth they have on the team.
And I feel like they were going into a young rebuild mode. But I was super excited to get on the phone with Tiago and talk about my role and how they view me, [and] how they looked at me over the course of my career.”
Powell also made clear what he sees as his job in Chicago. The goals remain personal - “All-Star is still individually on the list. Hopefully, All-NBA,” he said - but he also framed his arrival as a chance to help shape a young roster.
“Ultimately, I want to win, but coming into a situation where they’re a really young team with a lot of potential, [I can] definitely help lead the young guys and help mentor them, help build a winning mentality and culture.”
That message fits why the Bulls wanted him. Powell talks like a player who has earned everything the hard way, and the video leans into that underdog edge. He also comes off as someone who still believes there is more room to grow, which stands out even more after his first All-Star season at 32 years old.
His path matters here. Powell has moved from role player to primary scorer, handled different jobs along the way, and reached the NBA Finals stage. For a team trying to build something lasting, that kind of background is valuable.
Giddey also jumped into the player-made media space this week, posting a new YouTube video of his own. In a roughly 16-minute clip, he broke down the final five minutes of the Bulls’ March 2025 comeback against the Los Angeles Lakers, the game that ended with his half-court shot at the buzzer.
The video offers a clean look at how Giddey studies the game and how much is packed into a short stretch of live action. He repeatedly pointed out moments where he could have done things better, and in several spots he said so himself. It’s the kind of self-critique that usually shows up when a player is trying to sharpen his game.
Giddey also made time to praise the late Stacey King, whose call made the game-winner even better.
In Other News...
Bulls May Already Have A Costly Matas Buzelis Decision Looming
The Bulls are heading into training camp with a clear eye on development, and that makes Matas Buzelis one of the more important names on the roster to watch. Chicago wants to see growth from its young core, including No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson, but Buzelis remains a big part of the larger picture after arriving as a former lottery pick with real long-term upside.
What makes the situation more interesting is the timing. Buzelis is now moving toward a pivotal stretch in his Bulls tenure, and the front office has to start weighing how he fits into the teams future plans before any real contract conversation gets serious. Recent wing deals around the league are already serving as a useful measuring stick, which only adds to the pressure on Chicago to get this one right. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Season May Hinge On 3 New Faces Delivering Or Cracking
The Bulls spent the offseason adding three players whose range of outcomes could shape how steady this roster looks in 2026-27: Norman Powell, Nic Claxton and rookie Caleb Wilson. It is the kind of collection that can either deepen a rotation or force a team to spend too much time searching for answers, and Chicago will be watching closely because each newcomer arrives with a different job to do and a different level of uncertainty attached.
Powells scoring profile, Claxtons fit in the frontcourt and Wilsons development curve all leave the Bulls with something to project and something to worry about. If the group settles in, it gives Chicago a sturdier baseline and more flexibility in how it builds lineups. If it does not, the season could quickly turn into a test of how much instability a team can survive before its competitiveness starts to slip. [Read more 🡒]
The Bulls' Next Front Office Faces One Rebuild Question That Matters Most
Bryson Graham is stepping into a Bulls front office that inherits a familiar debate: stay on the middle path or finally choose a direction. Under Arturas Karnisovas, Chicago leaned away from tanking and toward a steadier, less aggressive approach in the trade market, a course that kept the team from bottoming out but also left plenty of uncertainty about how to close the gap at the top of the East.
The bigger question now is timing. With several Eastern Conference rivals carrying their own aging cores, rebuilding projects, or uncertain futures, the Bulls have a chance to think beyond the next season and plan for a later window when the landscape could look very different. For Graham, the real challenge is deciding whether Chicago should wait for that opening or start shaping itself around it now. [Read more 🡒]