Bulls wing Leonard Miller proved to be an undisputed silver lining in the Bulls' post-2026 NBA trade deadline aftermath that was tumultuous to say the least. The 2025-26 Bulls season chaos concluded with a complete front office house cleaning, a head coach resignation, and a rare full-throated apology to Bulls fans from Bulls president and chief executive officer Michael Reinsdorf.
Miller played the Chicago cards he was dealt reasonably well, averaging 11.7 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game, and shooting 35.6% from the three-point line in 27 games to wind down the 2025-26 NBA regular season games in a Bulls uniform.
With that introduction to Bulls Nation, the mystery of whether Miller has a long-term roster fit on a rebuilding Bulls roster is sure to be as much a ticking clock as the minutes countdown the Bulls will be assigned when they must officially select the fourth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Miller is extension eligible, and as it stands, his 2026-27 contract season is a non-guranteed $2.4 million team option, with a deadline of Jun 29, 2026, for the Bulls to exercise or decline the options according to Spotrac. Otherwise, Miller’s $2.4 million salary becomes guaranteed on Jun 30, 2026.
Exploring the possibilities in Leonard Miller’s contract future
The Bulls could decline Miller’s team option and extend him on a contract upwards of $52.4 million for three years, per Keith Smith of Spotrac, which averages out to approximately $17.5 million per year. At a still relatively young age of 22 with only three NBA seasons logged, Miller’s contract extension at its maximum projected amount would be a manageable cap hit for the Bulls.
Certainly, extending Miller for three seasons would provide ample runway for Miller to prove his services are worthy of a more lucrative third NBA contract, with the Bulls or another franchise.
Alternatively, if the new Bulls front office regime, fronted by Bryson Graham, decides Miller isn’t their cup of tea, then there is still value in extending Miller to at least structure him as a tradeable asset that is a known figure in terms of salary cap impact to peer NBA teams.
To Miller’s credit, he already put together a strong body of work in the back end of the 2025-26 NBA season once he arrived in Chicago. If he’s able to continue that trajectory going into the 2026-27 NBA season, his salary clock may run for a long time in Chicago or beyond.
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