The Big Question: Did the Bulls Actually Get Better?

By the Bulls Nightly Desk · Tuesday, October 13

The Bulls remade half their roster in one year, from a February trade deadline through this summer's additions of Nic Claxton and Norman Powell. Whether that adds up to a better team or just a different one is the question this preseason can't yet answer.

Bulls Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

The swap. Last season's 31-51 finish, 23rd in net rating at -5.3, triggered seven trade-deadline deals in February. Out went Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Julian Phillips, Dalen Terry, Kevin Huerter and Emanuel Miller; in came Jaden Ivey, Collin Sexton, Leonard Miller, Guerschon Yabusele, Nick Richards, Anfernee Simons, Rob Dillingham and eight second-round picks.

This summer's moves. Chicago added Nic Claxton from Brooklyn and signed Norman Powell, then flipped Rob Dillingham to Charlotte for Buddy Hield. The draft brought Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Dailyn Swain at 15. None of it has played a minute that counts yet.

New boss, too. Billy Donovan stepped down after last season. Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley were fired in April, Bryson Graham took over as basketball-ops boss on May 4, and Tiago Splitter was hired as head coach in June. Every layer of this operation turned over at once.

The money says patience. Payroll sits at $164.3 million, under the $165.0 million cap and well shy of the $200.4 million tax line. Josh Giddey's $25.0 million is the biggest number on the books. Chicago still owns nearly every future first-round pick, its own kind of bet on time.

Preseason gave hints, not answers. The Bulls beat the Suns 124-117 on October 7, lost to the Grizzlies 100-104 on October 9, and lost to the Nuggets 128-133 on October 11. None of it moves the record off 0-0. The regular season, and the real test, starts October 21 at Toronto.

The center piece is hurt. Claxton, the one addition built to fix last season's 22nd-ranked defense, went day-to-day over a hamstring problem on October 5, and a separate report the same day put him out at least two weeks. The Bulls' best case for a quick jump needs him on the floor first.

Our answer. Better, not fixed. Claxton, Powell and a top-five pick upgrade the talent beyond what Vucevic and White left behind, but a defense that ranked 22nd and an offense that ranked 25th don't repair themselves in one offseason, and the best new piece is already hurt. Call this a step, not a turnaround.

On deck The Bulls close their preseason trip at Milwaukee on October 14, then host Minnesota on October 16, before the schedule that counts opens October 21 at Toronto.

Are the Bulls expected to make the playoffs in 2026-27?

Last season's 31-51 finish and a 22nd-ranked defense make it a reach. The additions of Nic Claxton and Norman Powell raise the floor, but nothing is proven until the games that count start October 21.

Is Nic Claxton playing for the Bulls right now?

No. Claxton went day-to-day over a hamstring problem on October 5, and a separate report the same day said he would be out at least two weeks.