The Bulls carry $161.5 million in salary against a $165.0 million cap, with the $200.4 million luxury tax line nowhere close. Every apron threshold sits further off still, and the money question here is less about space than about which of the top contracts turn into the next good Bulls team.
The topline number. Chicago's payroll sits at $161.5 million on 14 contracts, under the $165.0 million salary cap. The $200.4 million luxury tax line and the $209.0 million first apron are not remotely in play. This is a team with room, not a team spending it.
Five biggest deals. Josh Giddey ($25.0M), Nic Claxton ($23.1M), Norman Powell ($21.5M), Patrick Williams ($18.0M) and Isaac Okoro ($11.8M) make up the top five contracts for this group. Four of the five are signed beyond this season; Okoro's is not.
Options due in 2027-28. Powell holds a $22.6 million team option for 2027-28, and Tre Jones has one worth $8.0 million the same year. Both decisions land after this season, with Claxton ($20.9M), Williams ($18.0M) and Giddey ($25.0M) already locked in regardless.
What comes off. Okoro's $11.8 million salary is not listed on next season's cap sheet, the only one of the five biggest deals absent from 2027-28. Everyone else in that group is signed for at least one more year.
Picks still Chicago's. The Bulls own their first-round pick outright in 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030. The only concession is a 2027 second-rounder owed to Oklahoma City, plus second-round swaps attached to 2028 and 2030.
No forced hand. Nothing on this cap sheet pressures the front office into a move. The roster sits under the cap with its own first-round picks intact through 2030, and the real question is development, not money.
Are the Bulls over the salary cap?
No. Chicago's payroll is $161.5 million against a $165.0 million cap, well below the $200.4 million luxury tax line.
Who are the Bulls' most expensive players?
Josh Giddey ($25.0M), Nic Claxton ($23.1M), Norman Powell ($21.5M), Patrick Williams ($18.0M) and Isaac Okoro ($11.8M) are the five biggest contracts for this group.
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