Executive VP of basketball operations Bryson Graham has rebuilt the Chicago Bulls' roster in one summer by acquiring a mix of young players and veterans. With his final available spot, he should add more NBA experience in the form of two-time all-star Victor Oladipo.
After drafting promising young rookies Caleb Wilson (like, really promising) and Dailyn Swain, Graham acquired 27-year-old Nic Claxton and re-signed Zach Collins as a tandem to lock down the center position. He signed 33-year-old Norman Powell in one of the offseason's biggest shockers, and he exercised forward Leonard Miller's team option.
But the Bulls are still light in the guard rotation, with only Josh Giddey, Tre Jones and Powell around as proven options. Swain and Rob Dillingham aren't dependable at this point, especially if the No. 1 goal this season is to develop Wilson and Matas Buzelis.
Oladipo would provide both depth and NBA know-how.
Signing Victor Oladipo is a gamble worth taking for the Bulls
Oladipo hasn't played in The League since the 2022-23 campaign, but the former Indiana Hoosiers star has been pushing hard for another chance. Bringing the 34-year-old to Chicago would be a winning situation for both parties.
After a breakout 2017-18 season with the Indiana Pacers that saw Oladipo make his first all-star team and earn MVP and Defensive Player of the Year votes, injuries began to pile up.
First came a right quad rupture in January of 2019. Then came the bubble in 2020, followed by another quad tear in 2021. In April of 2023, Oladipo tore the patellar tendon in his left knee. That could be the final bell on Oladipo's NBA career.
But not if it's up to him.
Oladipo penned a story for The Player's Tribune titled "A Letter to NBA GMs". He wrote, in part, "To say to any GM who’s willing to listen: I believe my body is finally right. I believe I still have GREAT (and more importantly, WINNING) basketball in front of me. I believe I can be a valuable contributor to an NBA locker room. And what I’m asking for right now is an opportunity to prove it."
Graham should consider giving him that opportunity.
Oladipo would be a smart addition to the 2026-27 Chicago Bulls
Oladipo has been most often linked to the Miami Heat, whom he last played for in 2023. After trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, however, Miami is in title-or-bust mode. A 34-year-old trying to play in the NBA for the first time in three years doesn't quite fit a win-now mentality.
But the Bulls might.
Chicago is fairly devoid of ball-handlers after Giddey, Jones and Powell. Swain should get some developmental minutes, but Graham's regime isn't tied to Dillingham, and the 21-year-old is already on a seemingly short leash in the Windy City.
Oladipo isn't desperate for a starting role; he's desperate for a roster spot. The Bulls could give him one more chance, and he could give the Bulls one more veteran leader and a backup floor general.
The two-time all-star is the kind of person you'd want in a young locker room like Chicago's. The kind of person you'd want next to tireless workers like Wilson and Buzelis. Anything he would give the Bulls on the floor would be icing on the cake, and it seems like something still might be in there.
Graham shouldn't have to look any further to fill his final vacant roster spot.
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