The Chicago Bulls' rotation looks quite a bit different than it did at the end of last season—especially near the top.
The additions of veterans Norman Powell and Nic Claxton should help raise the floor of this roster immensely, and all eyes will obviously be on Chicago's two first-round selections over the course of their rookie campaigns. But each of these players has a theoretical floor and ceiling for their performance in 2026-27, and where they fall between those will decide how this campaign goes.
If they'd like to avoid the NBA's new 'relegation zone', they're going to need each of these pieces to fall somewhere on the upper end of their ranges. But if things bottom out, there's room for some optimism as well in terms of their long-term outlook.
That being said, let's look at the best and worst case scenarios for each of these pieces heading into the new season. We'll leave out Jaylin Sellers and Tobe Awaka—the Bulls' two-way players—for now given how dependent their minutes will be upon injuries and the ultimate shape of the rotation.
Evaluating the floor and ceiling for each Bulls offseason addition in 2026-27
Norman Powell, SG
Best Case: The best case here for Powell is hard to determine, especially given the fact that the structure of his contract makes him a real trade asset as soon as mid-season. Perhaps the best-case scenario for him is a trade to a contender before the season is over?
But in terms of this Bulls roster, if Powell can play like the starting-caliber shooting guard we've seen him be over the past couple of years—hitting his 3-point shots at a near-40% clip and taking some of the on-ball pressure off of Josh Giddey in the backcourt—he can be the major piece this team needs to provide some infrastructure for their developing young core.
Worst Case: It's hard to see Powell falling off a cliff offensively, but the worst-case outcome here is if he's unable to take on the role that's mentioned above. If he's not a starting-caliber shooting guard for Chicago, it will make it infinitely more difficult to move on from his contract, and the rotation as a whole will suffer for it.
Nic Claxton, C
Best Case: The gap between Claxton's floor and ceiling is clearer than Powell's. Even if the Bulls aren't planning to be competitive in 2026-27, they at least have more talent and a more cohesive rotation than the Brooklyn Nets have had for much of Claxton's tenure there. Can he elevate his game now that he's away from Brooklyn? If he can play upwards of 30 minutes a night and provide some fast-break offensive upside for this team—even if his scoring is limited—he'll easily be a steal of an addition.
Worst Case: Although Claxton hasn't necessarily dealt with major injury issues over the past few seasons, there are certainly concerns about his workload over the course of a whole season. Neither Zach Collins nor Jalen Smith are especially inspiring backup big men—and that means that any significant time missed for Claxton could tank the viability of this rotation rather quickly.
Caleb Wilson, PF
Best Case: We know that Wilson has the potential to be the long-term, two-way star forward of the future in Chicago. What he looks like during his rookie campaign is a different question entirely. While him hitting his 3-point shots at a high rate (like we saw him do in Summer League) would be a bonus, his best-case scenario is that he looks like a primary offensive contributor by the end of the season. If he's able to show steady development on the defensive end while gaining confidence working downhill with the ball in his hands next to Matas Buzelis in the frontcourt, that's already a major win for Chicago.
Worst Case: Wilson's ceiling will be determined by his offensive polish, as we know what he can become on the defensive side of the ball. But there are still some lingering concerns—including his handle and his shooting away from the rim—that could leave some room for doubt by the end of his rookie campaign. Chicago's hopes are hinging on Wilson's development, and if he doesn't show improvement in those areas by the end of the season, the light he's brought to the organization could be temporarily dimmed.
Dailyn Swain, SG
Best Case: With the way Swain played in Summer League, most Bulls fans would be pleased if he can just start to hit his shots consistently. But Chicago seems intent on developing Swain at least as a complementary playmaker, and if he can start to take shots more confidently while getting on-ball reps and truly cracking the rotation in the backcourt, that will be a rookie-season win for the 15th overall selection.
Worst Case: Again, Swain shot just 12.9% from the field during Summer League. His floor in the regular season should be much higher than that. But if he fails to show any confidence in his shot or ability to score the basketball during his rookie season, there's very little chance he works his way into the rotation on a consistent basis. Even for a first-round pick with a wide range of outcomes, that would be a disappointing result.
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