The Chicago Bulls are gearing up for what promises to be… another middling run in 2025-26.
Although the personnel has been turned over many times since the club’s franchise-altering blockbuster trade of Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the results have remained largely the same: Chicago has missed the playoffs in all but one year since 2017.
Over the last three seasons, the Bulls have finished as a top-10 seed and made the play-in tournament – but they haven’t managed to advance to the playoffs proper since 2022.
Still, Chicago fans might finally have something approaching hope when it comes to their current roster.
The Bulls’ best player, shooting guard Coby White, is still just 25 and coming off a career-best season in 2024-25. Chicago just re-signed point guard Josh Giddey, 22, to a four-year, $100 million contract in restricted free agency. Beyond those two vets, defense-first hometown hero guard Ayo Dosunmu should be healthy after missing much of last year with an injury.
Another Chicago kid, second-year forward Matas Buzelis, is already turning heads, too.
The hyper-athletic pro, still just 20, was selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft coming out of the G League Ignite. He really thrived during the second half of the season, after Chicago had salary-dumped former two-time All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings, as part of a three-team exchange with the San Antonio Spurs.
Matas Buzelis on the Rise
In his 32 games with Chicago following the LaVine deal, the 6-foot-10 forward averaged 13.4 points on .489/.366/.806 shooting splits, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.6 steals across 26.9 minutes of action. Across his 48 games pre-trade, Buzelis averaged a far slighter 5.4 points on .404/.354/.829 shooting splits, 2.8 boards, and 0.8 rejections in 13.6 minutes per.
Now, per Keith Smith of Spotrac, Chicago has picked up its $5.7 million team option on the third season of Buzelis’ rookie-scale contract, ahead of the start of his second season. Only in outright disasters is that even a question, but the Bulls’ move here is at least a clear indicator that the club likes what it’s seen out of Buzelis so far.
Another exciting young lottery prospect has joined the proceedings in Chicago this year.
Chicago selected 6-foot-9 French combo forward Noa Essengue with the No. 12 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The 18-year-old had a spotty run in Summer League with Chicago, but like Buzelis – and several other recent draft picks from team president Arturas Karnisovas – he’s been blessed with appetizing athleticism. He may be a long-term project, but his upside is undeniable.
In three Summer League bouts with the Bulls, Essengue averaged 12.7 points on .419/.267/.615 shooting splits, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks and 0.7 assists a night.
