Rumor Check: No Trade Buzz, Just Paperwork

Splitter fills out his staff. Chicago announced Tiago Splitter's full coaching staff on Sept. 15, logged at confidence 40 and still marked open. It reads like a formality, not a lead — the club put its own name on the announcement, so there's nothing left for a source to confirm.

Gibson trades sneakers for a clipboard. Taj Gibson retired as a player on Sept. 14 and joined Splitter's bench the same day, a report carrying confidence 39 and open status. Same pattern as the staff news — Chicago made the call itself, no outside source needed to verify it.

King honor locked in, date pending. The club confirmed Sept. 10 it will honor Stacey King sometime in 2026-27, filed at confidence 35 and open. No date attached yet, and it doesn't touch the roster or the payroll.

Giddey's chatter, not a source. Giddey spoke in early September about his offseason, Powell, Buzelis and his jump shot — the lowest-rated item on the board at confidence 28. That's a player describing his own summer, not a source describing a move, and it should be read that way.

A Hawks deal, not a Bulls one. One confirmed report in the feed — Atlanta signing Keyshawn Bryant and waiving Devon Higgs — has nothing to do with Chicago. It landed in the same roundup as the Bulls items; it doesn't belong in this column.

The cap has nothing to test. Payroll comes in at $161.5 million against a $200.4 million luxury tax line, so there's room if an actual trade report ever surfaces. Right now there isn't one — every item on the board is a confirmed front-office move, not a proposal.