The Chicago Bulls didn’t exactly have an active offseason. Their agreement with Josh Giddey on a long-term contract was a headliner, but no other summer moves stood out as significant upgrades to a roster that advanced only as far as the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament for a third straight year; yet, it’s fair to say the Bulls are being overlooked.
Isaac Okoro came over from Cleveland in a trade that sent Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers. The Bulls added another young, versatile wing to their growing stable in Noa Essengue, the No. 12 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The rest of the moves came on the fringes, like incorporating Yuki Kawamura on a two-way contract, drafting big man Lachlan Olbrich in the second round, and signing forward Mouhamadou Gueye for depth at the end of the bench.
But while it’s easy to ignore things as mundane and unexciting as continuity and internal improvement, those are critical parts of any rebuild, and Chicago has real advantages in both heading into this season.
The Bulls are primed to exceed expectations in 2025-26
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but a good chunk of the NBA media doesn’t anticipate Chicago being a playoff team this season. Several outlets are predicting the Bulls to be even worse than they were last year, when they finished four games under .500 and barely cracked the Play-In, but it’s hard to imagine them slipping even further down the standings in a muddled Eastern Conference.
Count John Hollinger of The Athletic as one writer who’s zigging rather than zagging with his preseason estimations for Chicago. In a story outlining four teams he believes will outplay their season projections (the Bulls’ over/under is set at 32.5), Hollinger writes, “I have a hard time seeing how the script for this season ends up being much different [than 2024-25], which is why I’m amazed that their over/under is so low.”
He points out that while Chicago’s current roster isn’t built to compete for championships, its depth of above-average players is enough to carry the team to at least another ninth- or 10th-place finish in the East, in which case the Bulls would blow by that 33-win mark.
The most optimistic Bulls fans have been banging this drum all offseason: Yes, the team isn’t great, but it’s not as awful as the majority of people seem to believe. Giddey played at an All-Star level at the end of last season, White was a top-10 scorer in the league in March, and Buzelis showed enough flashes to make those inside and outside of the organization believe he’s ready for a breakout sophomore campaign.
Continuity and internal improvement; the Bulls will have both this season, and it could lead to a finish closer to a playoff spot rather than another lame Play-In Tournament finish.
