The Chicago Bulls had their work cut out for them heading into this offseason.
After undertaking a major roster teardown at the trade deadline and ushering in a new front office and a head coach, there was no world in which major changes weren't coming in Chicago. As of now, it seems as though the main tenets of last season's roster, Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey, will be staying in place.
But everything around them has already started changing, especially in the frontcourt. The Bulls traded for Nic Claxton prior to the 2026 NBA Draft, and they also added Caleb Wilson with their fourth overall selection. Toss in Noa Essengue, who should get some run at power forward in his sophomore season, and it's clear that Chicago's frontcout has already massively improved this offseason.
When Michael Scotto reported that Jock Landale was on the Bulls' radar entering the start of free agency, it seemed as though he would be a perfect fit behind Claxton. With Landale returning to the Atlanta Hawks on a one-year, $14 million deal, however, Smith's Bulls future receives a major boost.
Bulls' Jock Landale interest could mean the end of Jalen Smith's time in Chicago
Let's turn to the Landale 's hypothetical fit with the Bulls first. After playing a minimal role with the Houston Rockets in 2024-25, Landale took on major minutes with the Memphis Grizzlies and, later, the Atlanta Hawks in 2025-26. Across 68 games between the two teams, Landale averaged 10.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 38.3% from beyond the arc.
It's hard to call Landale a true floor-spacer. But combined with Claxton's defensive skill-set, Landale could easily have provided extensive backup big minutes with real offensive upside.
Smith, meanwhile, has struggled to find his footing through his two seasons in Chicago. Across 53 games in 2025-26, he averaged 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 48.3% from the field.
Smith isn't necessarily a true center, and there's not really room for him to take on minutes at the four-spot either with the addition of Wilson. If Landale had ultimately come to Chicago this offseason, Smith's $9 million expiring salary could quickly have become an attractive trade chip.
But the center market, even when it included Landale, wasn't all that deep. Isaiah Hartenstein is now off the market after his extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. So is DeAndre Ayton. The best options currently set to hit the market are Nikola Vucevic and Mitchell Robinson, neither of whom has a clear fit with Chicago.
Barring any major surprises, Smith now has a real path to carving out a concrete role as Chicago's backup center in 2026-27.
Add us as a preferred source on Google