One thing is clear: the Chicago Bulls have to start making moves ahead of the 2026 trade deadline. That much isn’t debatable. It’s been discussed recently, and even months ago, and the reason is simple: Chicago has seven players on expiring contracts, many of whom don’t appear to be part of the team’s future.
Consequently, having so many players on expiring contracts gives the Bulls significant salary-cap flexibility entering the offseason. Chicago can pursue high-end talent, but there’s a glaring issue with that reality. There isn’t much high-end talent available.
The 2026 free-agent class is lackluster
LeBron James and Kevin Durant headline the 2026 free-agent class, but neither represents a realistic option for the Bulls. Outside of the future Hall of Famers, the class is heavy on restricted free agents. While players like Dyson Daniels, Jalen Duren, Tari Eason, and Walker Kessler would all make sense for Chicago, signing a restricted free agent away from his incumbent team is rarely feasible.
The pool of unrestricted free agents worthy of a major investment is limited to Rui Hachimura and Quentin Grimes, with Austin Reaves or Trae Young joining that group only if either declines his player option.
Thus, as laid out, Chicago’s free-agent options are fairly sparse. Clearing out massive amounts of cap space isn’t as valuable as it once was. Just last offseason, only one player signed with a new team for more than $16 million per year, and only eight players total signed elsewhere for more than $10 million annually—three of whom did so via sign-and-trades.
Chicago’s grand plan makes sense conceptually, but it's not attainable. Fortunately, there’s a workaround. Rather than letting expiring contracts walk for nothing while hoping to land a quality free agent, why not move some of those players ahead of the trade deadline in exchange for rotation-caliber talent?
Time for the Bulls to acquire talent is now
ESPN’s Bobby Marks laid out this plan while discussing all 30 teams’ trade-deadline strategies. The salary-cap strategist wrote, “Instead of using cap space during an average free-agent class this summer, is it more logical for Chicago to identify players under contract for next season?”
It certainly is more logical. With so many teams around the league feeling the restraints of the vaunted second apron, there are numerous avenues for the Bulls to exploit. Consider the Cleveland Cavaliers’ increasingly dire financial situation, as Marks notes. Cleveland is set to owe roughly $170 million next season to its core four players alone, not to mention significant money committed to De’Andre Hunter and Max Strus. As a result, Marks identifies Hunter as a potential cap casualty. If Cleveland looks to shed salary, moving Hunter in exchange for a player like Kevin Huerter would make sense.
Nonetheless, that’s a basic example. Hunter is a good player, but Chicago should be targeting a younger asset who could be part of its long-term core. Consider the Philadelphia 76ers acquiring Quentin Grimes at last year’s trade deadline, or the Milwaukee Bucks landing Kevin Porter Jr. In both cases, the teams sending out the players were unwilling to retain them at an exorbitant cost.
Chicago could follow a similar approach. Targets might include Julian Strawther or Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets, Justin Edwards from the Philadelphia 76ers, or, perhaps most notably, Jonathan Kuminga from the Golden State Warriors. Of the four, Watson is probably the most valuable at this point. However, as a looming restricted free agent, Denver may be reluctant to pay the cost to retain him, especially given that its salary-cap situation isn’t much better than Cleveland’s.
In the end, making a move is far better than standing pat. With expiring contracts like Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, Ayo Dosunmu, and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls have assets that contending teams would surely covet. Extracting midseason value from potential suitors should be the team’s primary focus.