If the Chicago Bulls have done anything well as of late, it’s managing their finances. While signing Zach LaVine to a monstrous five-year, $215 million deal in 2022 proved to be an ill-advised decision, the Bulls were able to move off the talented yet flawed guard at last season’s trade deadline, acquiring a trio of serviceable role players in return.
With LaVine out of town, the Bulls’ salary cap sheet features just one potentially debilitating contract: Patrick Williams. Even then, Williams’ $18 million per-year cap hit isn’t terrible—after all, in a few seasons, $18 million will be the new mid-level non-taxpayer exception. The only real drawback? Williams is signed through 2029 and has now been on the decline for three straight seasons.
Aside from Williams, Chicago has just seven players signed beyond this season—and technically only five, since Matas Buzelis and Julian Phillips both have team options. That said, the Bulls are approaching a flexible salary cap situation, which has become a talking point both internally and externally.
Chicago’s expiring deals could fuel trades
NBA insider Jake Fischer suggested that the Bulls could be either buyers or sellers ahead of the trade deadline. He based his argument on the hodgepodge that is the Eastern Conference standings. Being just three games out of fifth place, the Bulls’ approach will likely be influenced by their record over the next 10 or so games.
All things considered, Fischer speculated that the Bulls would likely fall into the “buyers” category, mainly because of their salary cap situation. Chicago has seven impending free agents, totaling roughly $90 million in salaries. Many of those contracts are easily tradeable, including Zach Collins, Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, and Nikola Vucevic. Coby White, however, is a different story, considering he's due for a significant extension in the offseason.
Still, the possibilities seem endless. Fischer even mentioned Chicago as a potential player in the Anthony Davis sweepstakes. While pursuing a 32-year-old, injury-prone big man who doesn’t fit the Bulls’ timeline might not be the smartest move, Fischer’s point is that a trade could theoretically work by sending players like Dosunmu, Huerter, and Vucevic.
It’s a philosophy that has long been discussed and desired. Bulls fans know the team’s roster construction and that many players on the 2025–26 squad won’t be around for much longer. A Vucevic trade has been anticipated for some time, and the expectation that either Dosunmu or White would be retained, but not both, has lingered for nearly a year.
Back in September, we predicted the Bulls would be sellers ahead of the deadline, dangling the likes of Collins, Dosunmu, Huerter, and Vucevic. While the “sellers” projection doesn’t exactly align with Fischer’s idea of the Bulls as potential buyers, the foundation of both approaches comes from Chicago having numerous expiring, movable contracts to work with ahead of the deadline.