The Bulls were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention on Friday when they lost at Oklahoma City. Chicago (29-44) has nine games remaining and is 9.5 games behind Miami (39-35), the current No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference.
After another mediocre start to the season — the team was 24-25 through the end of January — Chicago pivoted to a rebuild by trading away several veteran’s ahead of the February 5 deadline. The Bulls have gone just 5-19 since the start of February.
Chicago’s roster could look quite different in 2026/27, as 10 of the 18 players currently under contract could be free agents this summer. That group includes third-year forward Leonard Miller, who has a $2.4MM team option for next season.
The Bulls are the ninth NBA team to be eliminated from postseason contention, joining Indiana, Brooklyn, Washington, Sacramento, Utah, Dallas, Memphis and New Orleans. The Bucks (29-43) will be the 10th and final team eliminated prior to the play-in tournament if they lose another game or the Hornets, Magic and Heat each win another game (they’re all at 39 victories).
Chicago is also currently ninth in the reverse standings, giving the team a 20.3% chance at a top-four pick and 4.5% odds at No. 1 overall. If the Bulls remain in that same spot when the regular season ends, they’d have a 50.7% chance of selecting at No. 9 in the 2026 draft.
Other than the MJ era, the Chicago team has been a poverty franchise the entire time.
Almost true. Where were you in 2011 though?
The Warriors franchise has 3 (or 2 if you dont count the BAA) non-Curry titles. Chicago has zero non-MJ titles. 2011? Bulls won nothing that year?
Oh, another Warriors thread is it. Lols
NO MORE PLAY IN DYNASTY TEAM!!!!! My heart is so happy. Now fire Donovan and retire our AI GM in Marc Eversley and we can get excited.
Maybe the Kings would fall for it
Offer Giddey and Patrick Williams for Zach LaVine and the Kings 1st
Chicago needs to embrace a full rebuild
and in other news….water is wet
Disappointing leadership, coaching, and development
What makes the Bulls experience so deflating is that there’s no hope for next season with this team. Like, some losing teams have a few rookies + decent upcoming draft picks that allow them to enjoy the present moment because there’s hope that it will evolve into a brighter future. Not the Bulls. There is no current player that can be viewed as possessing the potential to transform the team single-handedly, no combination of players that can be viewed as a true core, something special to build around, and no reasonable expectation they’ll fall into a top draft pick. It’s the same indifferent team owner, the same clueless, directionless FO, the same going-through-the-motions head coach, meaning that it’s just gonna more of the same decisions that got the Bulls mired in this mess all these years. It’s gonna take a new FO, new coach, new owner, somone(s) with a vision and the talent to achieve it.
As it stands at this moment, the Bulls will have most open cap space for next season of all thirty teams. So, the Bulls will be able to sign good players. Hope the Bull’s management uses the open cap space wisely.
Next season, the Bulls have ten players under contract Buzelis, Okoro, Miller, Williams, Smith, Essengue, Giddey, Ivey, Jones and Dillingham. As it stands, this is a very bad roster. Obviously, the Bulls need size and athleticism.
It’s pointless to talk about trading Williams. None of the other thirty teams will take Williams in a trade. Bulls will have to just make the best of the situation.
I agree about PWill but can the Bulls find a way to NOT play him? That’s something we need to hope for.
and your non-American franchise player has shady legal issues. He isn’t even on Wemby’s tier as person. Zero rings without MJ. Bulls fans are a different breed.
Have read comments about the Bulls building around Buzelis and Giddey. Hope that the Bulls aren’t delusional and think that Buzelis and Giddey are star players. Bulls will need players who are flat out better than Buzelis and Giddey to compete with the best teams in the league.
^ you know hoop! Absurd to think those are top 2 options, when they are only going to win a title with them as their #4-5 best guys. Bulls can get a guy better than both with this and next draft, and then they have to sign a Joker on top of that. Maybe then they will contend.
Joker – guy who is > buzelis+giddey – another guy who is > buzelis+giddey – buzelis – giddey = legit contender
Too early to make that call about Buzelis. The desire is there, the work ethic is there. He still has time to develop into a star, number 2 option. Giddey has room to grow too. I can see him being the third compliment to Buzelis and another star in a couple of years
Not impossible, but franchises shouldn’t really bank on unlikely outcomes when planning for the future.
Agreed. Have to wait until Buzelis has been in the league for four seasons.
@Chicago TimberSpurs
Not saying either of Giddey or Buzelis are bad players, but if you want to win a title, those are your 3rd-5th-best players, not 1 and 2. Neither of those guys have flashed a top dawg ceiling. Good complementary players to Joker, yes.
Cue the “Donovan leaving for UNC” music.
Never was a big Donovan guy. He is better off at UNC. Big time college program. They need him and he needs them. Imo he is built for college coaching. It’s the best place for him.
And it would be the best thing for Bulls. Then you go into draft with new vision. I’m a big Giddey guy. He is a real PG with size. Imo Bulls have talent. Just no true vision moving forward. They should have been playing Williams to move him. His strength is as a 3 n D wing. He’s a D guy first. Never been a PF. The Bulls will have plenty of cap space to sign a player. Plus they have an excellent pick coming. And if the basketball gods are watching, the Blazers pick too. They have the pieces to rebuild around. Billy has to go and they have to hit on draft.