The Bulls have left themselves room to make one more swing, and the restricted free-agent market is where that possibility starts to get interesting.
Chicago still has a full-time roster spot open, and the team is sitting well below the luxury tax threshold. That matters because while the unrestricted market has thinned out, a few notable names remain in limbo on the RFA side. The Bulls have not been linked to any of them yet, but the longer this stretches into the summer, the easier it is to imagine Graham revisiting the idea of making a move before the offseason is over.
Peyton Watson is one of the names worth watching. Denver’s financial situation has pushed his future into uncertainty, and the Nuggets’ stance has shifted.
According to The Athletic, Watson turned down a five-year, $70.0 million offer. Then, on Tuesday, Shams Charania reported that Denver has lowered its asking price in a potential sign-and-trade.
The Nuggets are now said to want a first-round pick and "a really good, high-level player."
That price is no small thing, but Watson checks a lot of boxes for a Bulls team trying to build something new under Tiago Splitter. He is 23, long, athletic and dangerous in transition.
His perimeter game took a real step last season, when he hit a career-high 41.1 percent from three. He also got more comfortable finishing and attacking off the bounce.
The bigger selling point is on defense. Watson has the kind of size and lateral quickness that lets him switch across multiple positions, and Denver kept playing him early in his career because of that upside even when the offense lagged.
For Chicago, which is trying to establish a more defense-first identity, that profile makes a lot of sense. In a lot of ways, Watson looks like the kind of player the Bulls hope Dailyn Swain can become down the line.
The question, of course, is whether Chicago wants to spend a first-round pick this early in the rebuild. It’s a real cost, but the Bulls do have all of their future first-rounders available, which gives them room to consider a deal if they believe Watson can grow into the contract he signs.
Another RFA option still floating around is Bennedict Mathurin. The Stein Line recently reported that the New Orleans Pelicans have been monitoring his situation, along with an undisclosed second team, with the possibility of a sign-and-trade in mind.
Mathurin would fill a different kind of need. Chicago does not have a clear long-term answer at shooting guard, and Norman Powell was brought in more as a short-term piece than a permanent solution. Mathurin is still not a finished product, but the flashes have been there.
Last season, he averaged 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists with the Pacers and Clippers. The efficiency still needs work, but he brings toughness and force. His free throw attempts have climbed every season, and in 2025-26 he averaged 6.2 over 54 games.
There are fit questions. Mathurin likes to attack the rim first, which could crowd things a bit with Chicago’s young wings.
But he plays with edge, he has real scoring juice, and he has already shown he can handle a bench role. That makes him a possible sixth-man spark if the Bulls wanted to bring him in and let him change games that way.
Chicago may not be eager to spend big this early in the rebuild, and that hesitation makes sense. Still, Watson and Mathurin are both young enough to matter when the Bulls are ready to push forward.
If the goal is to keep collecting talent and assets, this is a market the front office should at least keep discussing. The price will decide everything, but as the summer goes on, that price could start to look a little more manageable.
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The broader framework would also send draft picks and veteran role players back to Denver, giving the Nuggets a fuller return while tying the whole concept together financially. It is still only a hypothetical, not an official transaction, but the structure is the kind of multi-team machinery that can make sense on paper for a Clippers club trying to balance fit, depth and cost as it keeps exploring ways to strengthen the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Bennedict Mathurin Just Reached A Clippers Crossroads That Could Get Awkward
Bennedict Mathurins restricted free agency has put the Clippers in a familiar spot, balancing the urge to keep talent with the reality of a tight payroll. The qualifying offer on the table is worth $8.8 million, and for a player still trying to establish his long-term market, the short-term security could come with a bigger opportunity attached.
For Mathurin, the cleanest path may be to take that deal, bet on himself for another season and try to reach unrestricted free agency next summer with more leverage. The Clippers, meanwhile, are in no hurry to rush into a larger commitment, preferring to see more of him in their system before deciding whether he is worth a more significant investment. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers Just Found Another Way To Stay Dangerous In The East
The Clippers picked up some extra draft capital and a young forward in a small but useful transaction with Philadelphia, a reminder that even the quieter moves around the margins can matter for a team trying to keep its roster flexible. For Los Angeles, the deal came with a second-round pick attached, and it fits the kind of low-risk, asset-building approach that can pay off later even if it does not change the rotation right away.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, used the trade to keep its books in order after loading up on major talent, opening a roster spot and preserving the cap room it needed to stay below the first apron. The maneuver helped the Sixers bring in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope while still managing the rest of a crowded financial picture, which is the sort of housekeeping that can decide how far a contender can keep pushing. [Read more 🡒]