The Chicago Bulls have loads of cap space and a need for wings, giving them an obvious player to zero in on this summer: Peyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets.
Watson will be a restricted free agent — the market Chicago should be shopping in this offseason, given the lack of intriguing players who are unrestricted. (Tobias Harris, Harrison Barnes and Khris Middleton are a few of the uninspiring names that headline the list).
Bulls Executive VP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas finally tore down his team’s roster at the trade deadline, exchanging Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and several others for a slew of second-round picks and expiring contracts.
That sets the Bulls up nicely to pursue aggressively the right target(s) this summer, and Watson should be near the top of the list.
Peyton Watson is exactly what the Bulls have been missing
Chicago’s roster is backcourt-heavy after the acquisitions of Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Jaden Ivey and Rob Dillingham at the deadline. Adding Peyton Watson to that group would give the Bulls not only more balance but a young player seemingly on the verge of a massive breakout.
The 23-year-old Watson was the 30th overall pick in the 2022 draft, and the Nuggets acquired him in a draft-day deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, hoping he would provide a 3-and-D option next to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.Â
Watson averaged just 16.3 minutes in 103 games across his first two seasons and only 8.1 points in an expanded role last year. But his numbers and impact have increased this season, and they have exploded since the calendar flipped to 2026.
Since Jan. 2, the UCLA product is averaging 21.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.6 blocks while shooting 45.7 percent from 3-point range on 5.1 attempts per game in 18 contests (all starts).
The Bulls don’t have a player like Watson on the roster. At 6-foot-8 and gracefully explosive, he's a more impactful defender than Matas Buzelis and a more efficient long-range shooter. He's a 3-and-D wing in the truest sense.
Chicago's trade deadline has made the next steps crystal clear
Dillingham should still be in the Windy City next season. Ivey is a restricted free agent and has a good chance of remaining with the Bulls, but given his injury history, he’s certainly not a certainty.
Simons, Sexton, Guerschon Yabusele, Zach Collins and Nick Richards will all fall off the books this summer, giving Chicago plenty of open roster spots and cap space.
Karnisovas would be wise to take all that cash and plug the most significant gaps in the Bulls’ roster. League insider Jake Fischer recently reported, via The Stein Line substack (subscription required), that the team has "already sent some signals" that wings are at the top of its shopping list. Fischer also notes that Karnisovas won't shy away from restricted free agents.
Adding a center (Walker Kessler, anybody?) should be a priority, but bringing in an ascending 3-and-D wing like Watson would fill a critical need as the Bulls try to rebuild a barren roster.