The Chicago Bulls' goal in 2026-27 isn't to compete for a playoff spot. It's likely not even to make the Play-In Tournament.
The priority should be to evaluate the talent they still have on the roster and maximize the development of both Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson in the frontcourt within their newfound offensive structure. With the league's new Draft Lottery rules penalizing a bottom-three finish, though, there needs to be some emphasis on winning games.
That's why Chicago brought in both Norman Powell and Nic Claxton this offseason. Even if those additions don't equate to a winning season, they will help solidify the team's infrastructure on both ends of the court and provide a strong environment for Wilson and the Bulls' other young pieces to grow within.
Zack Kram at ESPN seems to disagree, though. In his recent tiered power rankings of all 30 NBA teams, he put the Bulls among the bottom-five teams in the league, keeping company with the Sacramento Kings, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Sure, that's where Chicago's floor might be—especially if Wilson doesn't prove to be an immediately impactful contributor at the NBA level. But do we truly think the Bulls can't at least keep pace with teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies in 2026-27? Do they not have the depth to at least remain competitive on a game-to-game basis?
The Bulls have the mix of depth and veteran presence to avoid the 'relegation zone' in 2026-27
From a certain angle, it's easy to see where Kram's evaluation of this Bulls roster makes sense. There are certainly concerns about Claxton's availability in terms of a larger minutes workload, and if they move on from their trade assets like Powell at the deadline, this team could easily sink toward the bottom of the standings before the end of the campaign.
But if we're evaluating this roster as it stands, it's hard not to argue their upside is more appealing than that of the Bucks or Kings.
Buzelis and Wilson will need to figure out the distribution of their downhill touches, but we watched Buzelis blossom into a reliable, dynamic NBA-level forward during his sophomore campaign. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 34.9% from beyond the arc. If he's able to hit his perimeter shots more consistently—and Wilson grows rapidly in his ability to handle downhill contact—that's an immediately dynamic frontcourt duo for the Bulls to build around.
If Wilson, Buzelis, and Powell can take on the majority of the Bulls' offensive touches, Chicago also has a more-than-capable playmaker in Josh Giddey to help facilitate things on that end of the court. As much controversy as Giddey may draw for his on-ball play style, he averaged 9.1 assists to just 3.6 turnovers last season as the Bulls' lead guard.
Neither the Kings nor the Bucks have that kind of an offensive vision built into their current roster. The Grizzlies do have Cameron Boozer and Cedric Coward, and the Pelicans have ample talent on the court in Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, and Herb Jones. But when you take a look at the entirety of those rosters, what about the particular fit of their assemblages of players makes them more appealing than what Chicago has at its disposal?
While the Bulls' fresh rebuild necessitated a tear-down, Graham has done an excellent job this offseason to build the roster back up in the short-term. Kram's rankings, while reasonable, fail to reflect the upside of those moves.
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