The Chicago Bulls have been one of the most popular teams in trade rumors during the 2025-26 NBA season. They have been quiet when it comes to actual moves, but they have several potential trade chips to add players who can make them serious playoff contenders.
At 23-24, the Bulls rank 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. They have the final Play-In Tournament spot at the moment, but their aspirations appear to be higher. According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, the six-time NBA champions want to make moves to improve their playoff chances this campaign.
After multiple seasons of hearing that the team wants to compete, but settling for mid-level and young players, fans could finally see a change this campaign. Their core has drawn plenty of attention from around the league, and it seems that this is the right moment to move on from some of them.
Bulls reportedly active in the trade market ahead of the deadline
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype wrote on Wednesday that the Bulls have been active in the trade market. Scotto notes that, having multiple expiring contracts, they have explored the market and have even tried to include themselves in trades as a third team.
The top trade candidates in Chicago are Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White. Both are on expiring contracts and have drawn interest around the association. The Minnesota Timberwolves have expressed interest in the duo, but nothing has materialized yet.
At the beginning of the season, Chicago offered center Nikola Vucevic ($21.48 million) to the Boston Celtics, showing that they are willing to make bigger decisions. The move would have landed Anfernee Simons and a first-rounder, but the Celtics declined.
Besides these three, Zach Collins ($18.08 million), Kevin Huerter ($17.99 million), Jevon Carter ($6.81 million), and Dalen Terry ($5.40 million) could be on the move before the trade deadline.
Chicago has accepted that it can't win again with their current model for success. If they can make a splash and bring an established star to help Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, the Bulls could aspire to much more than a fourth-consecutive play-in berth spot.