The Chicago Bulls made one of the surprise moves of the offseason by signing veteran guard Norman Powell in free agency, but his future in the Windy City could be decided quickly by a brutal early-season schedule.
If the Bulls struggle — a very realistic possibility — keeping Powell may be necessary to help Chicago avoid the draft lottery relegation zone.
Bulls executive VP of basketball operations Bryson Graham inked the 33-year-old to a two-year, $45 million deal that includes a team option for the second season, making it a very tradeable contract. And moving him at the trade deadline would arguably be the wisest play for the future.
But the first few months of this year's schedule could make that decision much more difficult for Graham.
The Bulls will struggle to win games early in 2026-27
As if a young roster in the early stages of a rebuild wouldn't make winning hard enough, new head coach Tiago Splitter will be running a gauntlet to kick off his debut season in Chicago.
After beginning the year with games against the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards, the Bulls play six games in 11 days against a trio of Eastern Conference heavyweights in the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.
That stretch is immediately followed by a date with Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
The Bulls play 10 consecutive games from Oct. 26 to Nov. 16 against teams that made the playoffs last season, as pointed out by The Athletic's Joel Lorenzi.
It wouldn't come as a shock if Chicago's win total still sits in the single digits when the calendar flips to December.
That would make trading Powell a risky proposition if the Bulls want the best odds at landing an elite draft pick in 2027.
Powell could be key to Bulls avoiding draft relegation zone
The NBA altered the lottery format this past summer after tanking reached what the league deemed critical levels. In the new system, the teams that finish with the three worst regular-season records receive fewer lottery ping-pong balls and, therefore, a lesser chance at winning the No. 1 overall pick.
It's the teams that finish 4 through 10 in the reverse standings that have the best odds at earning that top selection.
That's where the Bulls want to finish. And there's a good chance that after the first few months of the year, they're closer to the three worst records than the back half of the top 10.
If that's the case, they'll need Powell's experience and scoring prowess if they hope to recover and climb the standings by the end of the season.
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