The Bulls played three more preseason games this week, pushing their exhibition slate to five. After splitting a pair in early October, they lost at Denver on October 11, 128-133, with Leonard Miller scoring 26 and Caleb Wilson adding 17. They bounced back October 14 at Milwaukee, winning 125-104 behind Jalen Smith's 8 points and Norman Powell's 6. Two days later, on October 16, they beat Minnesota 133-116, with Wilson scoring 16 and Jordan Hawkins, the two-way signee who joined the roster October 6, adding 14. None of these results count toward the regular-season record, which stays 0-0.
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The injury list from the Suns and Grizzlies games cleared up fast. Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith both went from day-to-day to cleared on October 11. Tre Jones followed on October 12. Jaylin Sellers, who had been day-to-day with a back issue since October 7, was cleared October 14 after a brief re-listing as day-to-day that same day. That closes out the wave of ankle, foot, hip and back issues that piled up around the first two preseason games.
Two new names appeared on October 13: Tobe Awaka went day-to-day with a knee issue, and Isaac Okoro went day-to-day with an undisclosed issue. Neither has been cleared or given a firm timeline yet, so it is not known whether either will be ready for the regular season.
Nic Claxton remains the biggest open injury question. He was listed day-to-day with a hamstring issue on October 5, with a separate report the same day projecting him out at least two weeks. There has been no update on his timeline since. His name resurfaced in an October 17 roundup alongside Giddey, Collins, Wilson and Miller, but again with no new detail on his status.
The roster kept shrinking. On October 17, the Bulls cut four camp invitees, continuing the turnover that has run through camp since late September — Mallette, Suder, Sutton and Stevens already gone, with Bridges and Hawkins added in their place. The report did not name which four players were cut this time.
Vague roundup reports kept naming the Bulls without details. An October 13 "Central Notes" item tied the Bulls' injuries to other teams' news without specifics beyond what was already known. An October 15 report listed Miller, Smith, Essengue, Jones and the "second unit" with no stated content. The October 17 Giddey-Claxton-Collins-Wilson-Miller roundup falls into the same pattern. With the regular season approaching, the Bulls are 3-2 in exhibition play, have trimmed their camp roster, and still have no confirmed return date for Claxton.
Open storylines
as of Sun, Oct 18He was projected out at least two weeks on October 5, and as of the October 17 report there is still no update on when he returns.
Both went day-to-day on October 13 — Awaka with a knee issue, Okoro undisclosed — with no clearance or timeline yet.
The Bulls added a loss at Denver and wins over Milwaukee and Minnesota, but none of it counts until the real games start.
The roster keeps thinning out before the season opener, continuing the turnover that began in late September, though the report did not name who left.
The projection
all 30 teams →The season depends most on Jalen Smith (7.1 wins without him), Tre Jones (2.9 wins without him) and Josh Giddey (0.4 wins without him): on/off from 2025-26, details under Injuries. Computed Fri, Oct 23; the method is on the methods page.
The race
Eastern Conference · 80 games leftNext 5: vs Wizards50%at Celtics50%vs Knicks0%at Celtics50%at 76ers100%opponents win 50% of their games on average
Standings and games back are from the official table; the pace is the current record carried over 82 games, nothing more.
Day by day
34 days on the recordEarlier on the record30 more days · back to Fri, Sep 11
The franchise
Every season since the start →Public record →Nowupdated 2026-10-19
The Bulls enter 2026-27 under new head coach Tiago Splitter, hired in June after Billy Donovan stepped down when Chicago finished last season 31-51, missing the playoffs for a fourth straight year with the league's 25th-ranked offense and 22nd-ranked defense. The front office turned over too: Bryson Graham took over as executive vice-president of basketball operations in May, replacing the fired Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley. The core now runs through Josh Giddey (17.0 points, 9.1 assists last season), Matas Buzelis (16.3 points), Norman Powell, Nic Claxton, Tre Jones and Patrick Williams, built through the deadline teardown that sent out Nikola Vučević, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and others for Jaden Ivey, Collin Sexton and a pile of second-round picks. This summer brought more change: the Bulls acquired Nic Claxton from Brooklyn, signed Norman Powell, and traded Rob Dillingham to Charlotte for Buddy Hield. Payroll sits at $164.3 million, under the $165.0 million cap, with Giddey ($25.0 million) as the top salary. In the draft, Chicago took Caleb Wilson 4th and Dailyn Swain 15th. The roster is young, averaging 24.7 years old across 17 players.
Identity and rivalries84 words
The Bulls have long defined themselves by the up-tempo, pass-first style that shaped the Giddey-Buzelis backcourt and frontcourt pairing, a contrast to the grind-it-out Thibodeau teams of the past. Chicago's defining rivalries ran through the Eastern Conference gauntlet of recent years, especially Miami, which eliminated the Bulls in the play-in tournament three straight seasons. With a new coach and a retooled roster, what's at stake now is proving this young core can finally win those close games instead of bowing out in the play-in.
Home, owners and numbers83 words
The Bulls play home games in Chicago, with the franchise's history tied to the United Center era and, before it, the old Chicago Stadium, nicknamed the "Madhouse on Madison." The Ring of Honor, introduced January 12, 2024, has grown to include Johnny Bach, Bill Cartwright, Neil Funk, Jerry Sloan, Horace Grant, John Paxson and Norm Van Lier, recognized in a six-person class added September 12, 2025. The NBA retired Bill Russell's No. 6 across all teams on August 11, 2022, including in Chicago.
What they are chasing88 words
The Bulls are chasing a return to the playoffs after four straight years on the outside, and with Splitter's first season about to start at 0-0, the open question is whether Giddey, Buzelis and Claxton can turn a young, rebuilt roster into a play-in team or better. A second question hangs over camp: when does Claxton, sidelined with a hamstring issue since October 5 with no clear timeline as of mid-October, actually debut for his new team, and can the Bulls open the season intact at full strength.
The long view447 words
The Bulls were granted an NBA franchise on January 16, 1966, the third team in Chicago after the Chicago Stags (1946–1950) and the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs (1961–1963). Founder Dick Klein, the only owner in team history to have played pro ball (for the Chicago American Gears), served as GM and president. Coached by Johnny "Red" Kerr, the 1966–67 Bulls beat the St. Louis Hawks in their October 15 opener, finished 33–48, and became the only expansion team ever to reach the playoffs; Guy Rodgers and Jerry Sloan made the All-Star team and Kerr won Coach of the Year. Ownership passed to the Wirtz family before Jerry Reinsdorf bought a controlling stake in 1985.
Reinsdorf and GM Jerry Krause drafted Michael Jordan third overall in 1984, behind Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston) and Sam Bowie (Portland). Jordan won Rookie of the Year and, in a 1986 playoff loss to Larry Bird's Celtics, scored a still-standing playoff record 63 points, prompting Bird's line that Jordan was "God disguised as Michael Jordan." Scottie Pippen joined via a 1987 draft-day trade, with Horace Grant taken the same year. The Detroit Pistons eliminated Chicago from the playoffs three straight seasons (1988–90), a stretch that defined the Bulls-Pistons rivalry, before Phil Jackson replaced Doug Collins as head coach in 1989.
Under Jordan, Pippen, and Jackson, the Bulls won six championships in two three-peats. They set franchise records of 61 wins in 1991 (beating Magic Johnson's Lakers in five) and 67 wins in 1992 (beating Clyde Drexler's Trail Blazers in six), then beat Charles Barkley's Suns in six in 1993 on John Paxson's title-clinching three-pointer. They are the only franchise to win multiple titles without ever losing a Finals series. Jordan retired on October 6, 1993, after his father's murder; Pippen won the 1994 All-Star MVP in his absence. The team left Chicago Stadium after 27 years for the United Center in 1994–95. Jordan returned March 18, 1995, and with Dennis Rodman added, the Bulls went 72–10 in 1995–96 — an NBA record that stood until Golden State's 73 wins in 2015–16 — en route to a second three-peat through 1998.
Since 1998 the Bulls have not returned to that level, struggling through the 2000s. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah led the team to winning percentages above .732 in 2010–11 and 2011–12 before a Rose ACL tear triggered trades and a rebuild. Jordan and Rose combined for six MVP awards as Bulls.
The Bulls still share the United Center with the NHL's Blackhawks, and Benny the Bull, introduced under GM Pat Williams, remains the team's mascot. Their identity rests on the Jordan-Pippen-Jackson dynasty and enduring rivalries with the Pistons, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the New York Knicks.