Second-year Bulls forward Noa Essengue finds himself in a precarious basketball situation, and the Chicago Bulls haven’t even kicked off training camp yet for the 2026-27 NBA season.
Fresh off the problematic optics of getting demoted to a bench role in the Bulls' third Las Vegas Summer League game against the Washington Wizards, preceded by getting benched in the second half of the Bulls’ second summer league game against the Utah Jazz, Essengue has a consequential few months ahead for his young NBA career.
Tiago on bringing Noa off the bench in the second half
— Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) July 14, 2026
“Just wanted more from him” pic.twitter.com/18BNy5RVAA
Essengue should be concerned about his NBA future because his four-year, $25.3 million rookie-scale contract has a team option on his third year, which would pay Essengue $5.9 million.
The Bulls' deadline to exercise or decline Essengue’s third-year team option is Oct 31, 2026, according to Spotrac. If the Bulls decline Essengue’s third-year team option, the forward will enter unrestricted free agency in the 2027 NBA offseason.
With executive vice president of basketball operations, Bryson Graham’s Bulls front office regime emphasizing cap flexibility via their non-draft 2026 NBA offseason acquisitions of center Nic Claxton and guard Norman Powell, plus extending Zach Collins to a two-year contract extension, the Bulls have a reasonable motive to consider limiting their Essengue financial commitment to the final guaranteed season of his contract, the 2026-27 NBA season.
The Arturas Karnisovas days of handing out player options to Bulls players like wet napkins at a wing bar are over for the Bulls, as Graham’s modus operandi for NBA contracts, aside from his rookies, are two-year deals with a team option.
Weighing Graham’s looming Essengue decision
Essengue’s uneven performances through the Bulls' first three 2026 summer league games are troubling despite his well-documented rookie season injury setback. Essengue has rarely displayed a steady, confident physical presence on either end of the court. He’s easily bumped off defensive assignments or screened out of defensive coverages with little fight.
The Bulls would be well within their right to simply decide to cut bait on keeping Essengue on the roster if they don’t see a path to him getting stronger and contributing valuable game minutes.
Conversely, Essengue’s height and wingspan give him some useful tools that might be helpful towards coalescing the Bulls' defensive identity.
If the Bulls are willing to be patient with him and the new front office regime has a serious player development operation planned in their practice facility and within the Bulls’ NBA G-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, then perhaps it’s a worthwhile cap investment to see what the Bulls’ player development program can unlock in Noa Essengue’s game.
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