As the wheels turn on the Chicago Bulls' 2026 NBA offseason, the center position is easily one of their glaring roster holes.Â
One of the roster holes in the five-spot was created by center Zach Collins' transition to a 2026 NBA unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the Bulls' 2025-26 NBA season.Â
Collins initially joined the Bulls in what could have been perceived as a cast-off trade return to the Bulls when they dealt guard Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team trade including the San Antonio Spurs during the 2025 NBA trade deadline season.
Collins’ availability issues limited him to 10 games of the Bulls’ 2025-26 NBA regular season, so conventional wisdom points to Collins finding a new NBA home for the 2026-27 NBA season, given he didn’t have ample opportunity to prove on the court that he was worth a Bulls extension.
However, with the Bulls' head coach transition from Billy Donovan to Tiago Splitter, there is now a budding case for the Bulls to explore retaining Collins, given the shared player background Collins and Splitter have as former centers for the San Antonio Spurs, who were both head coached by Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Fame inductee, five-time NBA champion, and Northwest Indiana basketball legend Gregg Popovich.
Splitter cares about people as much as plays
Since joining the Bulls organization, Spitter has made it abundantly clear that his approach to being a basketball head coach is less about drawing plays and more about the relationship dynamics a head coach establishes with his players.Â
Splitter is keen on creating locker room belief in his coaching abilities, teaching the game to his players, and ultimately holding those players accountable for individual and team performance.
Warning: NSFW language in clip.
What better way for Splitter to embark on his installation of a basketball culture in the Bulls locker room than by being able to lean on a player like Collins, who readily understands the basketball culture that developed Splitter as an NBA player. It also doesn’t hurt that another Spurs alumnus is on the current Bulls roster in Tre Jones.
Culture often becomes a commoditized word when used by NBA front office executives or coaches. Installing an organizational culture of any kind requires advocates for the benefits of the cultural change while also looking to those same advocates to help the group navigate through fears and unknowns about cultural change.
If Bryson Graham truly shares a vision with Tiago Splitter and is motivated to help Splitter successfully implement his version of a Bulls locker room culture, then he should promptly re-sign Zach Collins to a reasonable contract to position Collins as a key locker room vet to guide the Bulls’ rebuild.
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