2026–27 Chicago Bulls season
NBA professional basketball team season
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The 2026–27 Chicago Bulls season will be the 61st season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). On April 21, 2026, Billy Donovan stepped down as the Chicago Bulls' head coach.[1] In May 2026, the team hired Stephen Mervis as its new senior vice-president of basketball operations, Acie Law IV as its new vice-president of player personnel, and Bryson Graham as its new executive vice-president of basketball operations.[2][3] [4] On June 16, 2026, the Bulls hired Tiago Splitter as their new head coach.[5]
| 2026–27 Chicago Bulls season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Tiago Splitter |
| President | Michael Reinsdorf |
| General manager | Bryson Graham |
| Owner | Jerry Reinsdorf |
| Arena | United Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 0–0 |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Chicago Sports Network |
| Radio | WLS WSCR |
This will mark the first season since 2005–06 without Stacey King in the broadcast booth for locally televised games, as he passed away on June 7, 2026, at the age of 59. The Bulls are expected to honor King throughout the season.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Caleb Wilson | SF |  United States |
North Carolina |
| 1 | 15 | Dailyn Swain | SG/SF | United States |
Texas |
| 2 | 38 | Braden Smith | PG | United States |
Purdue |
| 2 | 56 | Vsevolod Ishchenko | G |  Russia |
PBC Lokomotiv Kuban (Russia) |
The Bulls entered the draft holding two first-round selections and two second-round selections.[6][7]
In the NBA draft lottery, the Bulls' original first-round pick moved up to the top 4. The Bulls' remaining selections were acquired via previous trades: a first-round pick from the Portland Trail Blazers that conveyed to Chicago when Portland made the 2026 NBA playoffs, having previously deferred as a lottery-protected pick since the 2021 Lauri Markkanen three-team trade, and two second-round picks acquired during the 2026 trade deadline, conveyed after being passed on multiple times from their original owners, the New Orleans Pelicans and Denver Nuggets, respectively. Both second-round picks were finalized after the 2025–26 season when New Orleans finished with a worse record than Portland and two other teams to yield the most favorable pick, while Denver finished with a better record than the Golden State Warriors to yield the less favorable pick. The Bulls had also traded their original second-round pick to the Washington Wizards in 2024 and the pick is slated to be used by the Houston Rockets in the draft.[8][9]
On the second day of the draft, the Bulls traded away both second-round picks that they were holding to the Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks, respectively.[10]
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
NBA Cup
East Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Atlanta Hawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Possible knockout stage based on ranking |
| 3 | Charlotte Hornets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Chicago Bulls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Washington Wizards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Transactions
Trades
| Date | Trade | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 24, 2026 | To Chicago Bulls |
To Indiana Pacers
|
[11] |
To Chicago Bulls
|
To Los Angeles Lakers
|
[12] | |
| July 10, 2026 | Four-team trade | [13][14] [15][16] | |
To Brooklyn Nets
|
To Charlotte Hornets
| ||
To Chicago Bulls
|
To Minnesota Timberwolves
| ||
- Chicago may trade its own pick for either one of the picks originally belonging to Indiana and Phoenix.
- Chicago may trade its own pick for Indiana's own pick.
- Charlotte may swap its own pick for Minnesota's own pick.
- Charlotte may swap its own pick for Minnesota's pick if it falls No. 1–5.
- Through earlier trades, Minnesota will retain its own pick or receive the pick originally belonging to Dallas and San Antonio, if Minnesota's pick falls No. 2–30; Charlotte may swap its own pick for whichever pick Minnesota has afterward.
Free agency
Re-signed
| Date | Player | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
Additions
| Date | Player | Former Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2, 2026 | Tobe Awaka | Arizona Wildcats (undrafted) | [17] |
| July 2, 2026 | Jaylin Sellers | Providence Friars (undrafted) | [17] |
| July 10, 2026 | Norman Powell | Miami Heat | [18] |
Subtractions
| Player | Reason | New Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collin Sexton | Free agency | Los Angeles Lakers | [19] |
| Anfernee Simons | Free agency | Philadelphia 76ers | [20] |
| Guerschon Yabusele | Signed overseas | Panathinaikos B.C. (Greece) | [21] |