Saturday, the Houston Rockets announced the free agent signing of former Chicago Bulls forward Julian Phillips. According to Spotrac, Phillips and the Rockets agreed to a one-year NBA veteran minimum contract that is estimated to pay the wing a fully guaranteed $2.5 million for the 2026-27 NBA season.
Phillips’ Bulls tenure concluded at the 2026 NBA trade deadline when he was packaged along with guard Ayo Dosunmu in a trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves that returned guard Rob Dillingham, forward Leonard Miller, and four second-round draft picks.
Going into the 2026 NBA offseason, Phillips' team option on the fourth year of his rookie contract was declined, sending him into 2026 unrestricted free agency.
Playing time was sparse for Phillips in Minnesota, only appearing in 13 regular-season games for a total of 94 game minutes, according to Basketball Reference.
However, from a modest development standpoint, Phillips at least accomplished something that he was highly unlikely to do in his tenure with the Bulls; Phillips actually acquired NBA Playoffs experience. Phillips appeared in five games during the 2026 NBA Playoffs for a total of 25 game minutes.
Therefore, the obvious mission for Phillips as he moves to another NBA Western Conference playoff team is to prove he can be a consistent rotational player in the regular season and the playoffs.
Why it didn’t work for Phillips in Chicago
Julian Phillips, unfortunately, fell in line with an odd profile of NBA players that former Bulls front office executive Arturas Karnisovas obsessed over in his roster choices: long athletic wings with inconsistent shooting tendencies. Derrick Jones Jr. arguably was one of the more effective players in this Bulls role during the infamous ‘AKME’ era between 2020 and 2026.
And yet, Jones Jr. also required a playoff riser performance en route to the 2024 NBA Finals, playing off Luka Doncic, to raise his value in the NBA.
Today’s NBA values decision-making over athleticism in all five positions. Phillips most consistent contribution to the Bulls was sporadic play finishing in fast break situations.
Phillips was a persistent spacing problem for the Bulls, finishing his Bulls tenure with a 32.0% three-point shooting percentage on 4.9 three-point attempts per 36 minutes, according to Basketball Reference.
How Phillips can get out of the mud
Looking at the totality of his NBA career, Phillips is capable of bringing disruptive energy to the defensive end of the court, and that is a valuable skill for sure.
Phillips averages 1.3 career steals per 36 minutes, so disrupting opposing offenses and creating fastbreaks from turnovers should be the focus of Julian Phillips' time in Houston.
Rockets’ head coach Ime Udoka holds his roster to a high defensive standard, so if Phillips is to continue his NBA career beyond the 2026-27 NBA season, then he has to be 100% committed to his defense.
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