Game 82 of the Chicago Bulls 2025-26 NBA regular season featured 30 minutes of two-way contract big Lachlan Olbrich as the Bulls' starting center. The remainder of the Bulls center rotation in this contest, Nik Richards and Zach Collins, were DNP injury/illness scratches from the Bulls’ season finale contest against the Dallas Mavericks on Apr. 12, 2026.
Tre, Young Bull, Pat, Lenny, and Lachy start us off in our finale.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 13, 2026
Stream ➡️ https://t.co/dLgvAjeEdl pic.twitter.com/UAnX1lIFvb
It is also quite possible that Collins and Richards may have already concluded their stays with the Bulls franchise as they transition to unrestricted free agents during the 2026 NBA offseason. Olbrich is also due to hit restricted free agency during the 2026 NBA offseason, according to Spotrac. Who will find their way into the Bulls center rotation for the 2026-27 NBA regular season?
Addressing center needs through the 2026 NBA draft
At his introductory press conference on May 6, 2026, Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham didn’t shy away from prioritizing the draft as the centerpiece of his Bulls roster rebuild strategy.
"We’ve got some pretty good young players, but we know this draft is going to be the first real layer to this foundation going forward."Bryson Graham
Logically, the 2026 NBA draft is the first opportunity for the Bulls to replenish center depth, and the franchise would be wise to seriously consider selecting a center with the 15th overall pick of the draft, which should have a healthy selection of centers at that tier of the draft. Whether it’s 2025-26 NCAA men’s basketball national champion Aday Mara of the University of Michigan or Jayden Quaintance of the University of Kentucky, to name a few examples.
What about free agency?
A contingent of Bulls fans would quickly welcome the prospect of the Bulls securing Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren or Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler via restricted free agency during the 2026 NBA offseason. However, there are both risks and rewards to a rebuild in acquiring either player. Perhaps either big would add short-term productivity next season, but is that worth a long-term contract occupying the Bulls' salary cap space?
Perhaps a viable free agency answer for Bulls center depth would be acquiring journeyman center Charles Bassey, who finished his 2025-26 NBA season with the Golden State Warriors. Bassey will go into his age-26 season during the 2026-27 NBA season and likely command at most an NBA veteran minimum salary. Pairing Bassey with a rookie center would be the most cost-effective answer to restocking the Bulls center rotation.
Should the Bulls hit the trade block?
NBA trades in general are difficult to predict. Relative to guards and forwards, NBA centers typically account for smaller shares of an NBA team's salary cap, which should indicate the availability of serviceable NBA centers in either the NBA draft or free agency talent markets. Unless there is a center trade that returns surplus draft capital, the Bulls shouldn’t entertain trades as an avenue for acquiring centers. Look how the Nikola Vucevic trade panned out.
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