For the Chicago Bulls, this offseason was largely a clean slate. They moved off of Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, and Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline, and they were able to replenish their roster with both young and veteran talent to maximize their chances within the NBA's new '3-2-1' lottery system.
In 2026-27, all eyes will be on the advancement of the Bulls' young core. But by the time we reach the 2027 offseason, Chicago will be faced with another set of sliding doors. As of now, they have just six guaranteed contracts on the books for 2027-28, along with team options on Matas Buzelis and Tre Jones.
There should be plenty of stars and otherwise impactful players on the market, so Chicago will have its work cut out for it financially. But the most important decision of the offseason will be Buzelis' rookie extension.
The Bulls are counting on Buzelis to take a stride forward this season— he needs to quickly become a cornerstone of the team if this rebuild is going to work in its current shape. But Buzelis also has his own incentives in 2026-27.
He needs to play his way out of restricted free agency, and a major offensive campaign could help him accomplish that goal.
Both the Bulls and Matas Buzelis should be looking to get an extension done next offseason
Across his first two NBA seasons, Buzelis has already shown major signs of improvement. He grew exponentially in his confidence getting downhill and finishing at the rim in 2025-26, and his efficiency went up virtually across the board.
Across 77 games last season, Buzelis averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 34.9% from beyond the arc. For a second-year player who came into the league needing to polish his offensive attack, it's hard to ask much more.
But now that Caleb Wilson will be paired in the frontcourt alongside him, the Bulls need Buzelis to continue to advance. If he can grow as an on-ball defender and as a perimeter shooter, he will be the perfect complementary piece to a roaming, rangy power forward like Wilson. The pairing will need to figure out the balance of their downhill attacks, but that's something that will come with time.
Chicago needs Buzelis to be their star of the future alongside Wilson, and his two-way impact will need to ramp up next season if he's going to start to approach that bar.
Granted, Chicago might want to wait until Buzelis enters restricted free agency to offer an extension, especially if another leap in his production leaves him looking for a max or near-max salary on his second contract. But we've seen what happens when teams hold off on an extension only for that player to have a career season in their contract year. The Detroit Pistons' holding pattern with Jalen Duren this offseason is a stark example.
For Buzelis, the goal should be to prove himself as a high-upside starter, if not an emerging star, this season. The primary aim for the Bulls, at this juncture, should be certainty.
A major season from Buzelis and a fair extension next offseason could provide that as the team continues to build out its young core.
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