The Bulls carry $164.3 million in salary, a hair below the $165.0 million cap and well clear of the $200.4 million tax line. The real question is 2027-28, where several deals fall away and the team options start to matter.
Where the money sits. Chicago is essentially at the cap at $164.3 million. The tax line is $200.4 million, the first apron $209.0 million, the second $221.7 million. None of those lines is close. This is a club with no space to spend and no tax problem to dodge.
Four deals set the floor. Josh Giddey makes $25.0 million, Nic Claxton $23.1 million, Norman Powell $21.5 million and Patrick Williams $18.0 million. Those four make up the core of the payroll. Giddey and Williams hold the same figures next season, so nothing there gets lighter by itself.
Claxton's price drops, his health doesn't. Claxton's number falls to $20.9 million in 2027-28. He is out with a hamstring, with an estimated return of November 4. A $23.1 million center in street clothes is the kind of cap line fans notice quickly.
Decisions on the books. Powell's $22.6 million for 2027-28 is a team option. Tre Jones at $8.0 million is also a team option. Buddy Hield's $10.1 million is the player's call. Hoops Rumors reported Chicago exercised its 2027-28 options on Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue.
What leaves the sheet. Isaac Okoro at $11.8 million, Jalen Smith at $9.4 million and Leonard Miller at $2.4 million do not appear on the 2027-28 sheet. Okoro and Smith were both in the Bucks box score Friday. Their contracts are the cleanest flexibility the Bulls have.
Rookie scale helps. Caleb Wilson, the fourth pick, makes $10.7 million, rising to $11.2 million. Dailyn Swain, taken 15th, makes $5.0 million, then $5.2 million. Wilson scored 21 on Friday. Cheap, productive rookies are the best thing a payroll this tight can hold.
Picks are mostly there. Chicago owns its first-rounders in 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030. The 2027 second-rounder is owed to Oklahoma City. The 2028 and 2030 seconds are swaps. Only the 2029 second is clean. The picks are not the issue.
How much do the Bulls have in salary this season?
Chicago's payroll is $164.3 million, just below the $165.0 million cap and far from the $200.4 million luxury tax line.
Who are the highest-paid Bulls?
Josh Giddey leads at $25.0 million, followed by Nic Claxton at $23.1 million, Norman Powell at $21.5 million and Patrick Williams at $18.0 million.
