Bulls Nation, let me be frank with you. Walker Kessler does not matter. Jalen Duren does not matter. Tari Eason does not matter to the Chicago Bulls' rebuild plans.
Forget about restricted free agency (RFA), Bulls fans; it is fool's gold. Sandro “Mamu” Mamukelashvili, on the other hand, is exactly the free agent the Bulls should be running to sign if he declines his 2026-27 player option on his current contract with the Toronto Raptors—more on him in a bit. Allow me to stomp on the RFA dreams of our fan base a bit more.
In the landscape of 2026 NBA player tiers, restricted free agents are players who typically aren’t good enough to be a no-brainer recipient of an attractive second contract with their current team, and that is not the caliber of talent the Bulls should prioritize in the 2026 offseason.
Growth and upside talent are what the Bulls need, and thankfully, the 2026 NBA Draft, specifically via the fourth pick (or perhaps an even higher pick), will likely deliver this talent to the Bulls.
Restricted free agents at this stage of the Bulls' rebuild are the worst of both worlds. Again, a talent who probably isn’t good enough to justify extending them on a player-friendly deal and at the same time likely receives an overpay on the RFA contract relative to their production.
Thankfully, there is a clearly superior 2026 free agency solution for the Bulls, and it is the prolific Mamu, who finished the 2025-26 NBA season with the Toronto Raptors and could possibly hit the unrestricted free agent market once the 2026 NBA Finals conclude.
Mamukelashvili covers a lot of roster bases for the Bulls
Mamu is a 27-year-old versatile big at 240 pounds and 6’9”. He certainly could contribute minutes as a center, but Mamu’s value clearly is anchored in playing power forward minutes with a versatile scoring touch inside and outside the three-point arc and serviceable secondary playmaking chops. Mamukelashvili shot a healthy 63.7% true shooting percentage for the 2025-26 NBA regular season while contributing a 12.4% assist rate in the same season span.
Going beyond the straightforward on-court reasoning for acquiring Mamu, the salary cap economics related to Mamu would be advantageous to the Bulls, as he is currently on a veteran minimum contract, and his free agent cap hold amounts to $2.7M according to Spotrac.
Overall, Mamu isn’t a cornerstone piece, and franky Bulls fans shouldn’t expect a cornerstone player to land on the Bulls roster via free agency. This is 2026, not 2014. Mamu is ultimately a good vet who could showcase skills to be an attractive trade piece for the Bulls to leverage in the future to progress the rebuild.
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