The Chicago Bulls are currently an organization without a clear plan, but one with several needs to address this offseason.
Armed with more cap space than any team in the NBA, the Bulls should be able to attack free agency and have already been linked to Denver's Peyton Watson, Detroit's Jalen Duren, Utah's Walker Kessler and Phoenix's Mark Williams, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (subscription required).
Watson would fill a need on the wing, while any of Duren, Kessler or Williams would help a disgustingly deficient front court that's short on both bodies and talent.
Any move will be dependent on where Chicago goes with its search for a head of basketball operations and head coach, but the plan should be the same regardless of who's hired: Use two top-15 picks and $65 million in cash to add young, high-upside talent that fits around Matas Buzelis.
Watson, Duren, Kessler and Williams would all make sense for the Bulls to pursue.
Bulls already linked with four of the best available free agents
This quartet is unique in that they are all restricted free agents, meaning their current teams have the right to match any offer Chicago makes — but the Bulls' massive amount of cap room gives them an advantage.
They can, for example, offer Kessler a max deal, which the Jazz may be hesitant to match. If Kessler feels he's worthy of that max contract and isn't getting it from Utah, then bam, the Bulls have a new center.
Peyton Watson
Watson is 23 years old and coming off a breakout season in which he averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.0 stocks (steals plus blocks) while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from 3-point range.
The former UCLA star is evolving into one of the NBA's elite 3-and-D wings, but has shown enough flashes of playmaking and shot-creation to make teams believe he can be more than that.
Jalen Duren
Duren is having a rough postseason, but that shouldn't erase the fact that he was an All-Star this year and averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists at 22 years old.
At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, the former Memphis Tigers star would give the Bulls the kind of imposing interior presence they desperately need.
Walker Kessler
Kessler only played five games last season after suffering a torn labrum, but he's been one of the NBA's elite shot blockers and rebounders since entering the league.
The 22nd pick in the 2022 draft averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 2024-25 and uses his 7-foot-5 wingspan to finish just about everything at the rim.
Mark Williams
Williams isn't on the level of Duren or Kessler, but he's an efficient big man who averaged 13.2 points and 8.9 rebounds in 104 games over the last two seasons.
Given his lesser role and somewhat concerning injury history, the 24-year-old would be a cheaper alternative to Kessler or Duren but would still be a huge upgrade in the Bulls frontcourt.
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