With the Chicago Bulls falling to the Philadelphia 76ers 157–137 the other night, my mind has drifted toward what the Bulls can add this offseason to help take a step in the right direction. Entering the offseason, the Bulls will be near the bottom of the salary cap at around $92 million. They have their franchise pillars in place with Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey. Now the question becomes: how can they use that cap space to improve this squad? The Bulls are currently tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for ninth in the lottery, giving them just a 3.8% chance at landing the No. 1 pick.

My Hottest Take: Getting a top-3 pick does not guarantee the team gets better

If the lottery balls bounce the Bulls’ way and they land a top-three pick, I believe the team should draft the best available player. My personal top choice would be AJ Dybantsa, followed by Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson. But the bigger point here is that adding another high-level prospect could create a shift in development. Buzelis is just starting to get comfortable being more aggressive, averaging around 20 points per game over the past month. I’d like to see the team continue building within these roles, and adding a top-three pick might disrupt that growth more than help it in the short term. If the Bulls draft where they are slotted, odds are is they will find the type of 3-and-D player to pair along side the franchise cornerstones.

What you need to know: The Bulls are bringing a lot of people back

Along with their two core players, the Bulls are expected to bring back Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro, Tre Jones, Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and first-round pick Noah Essengue. They could also receive an additional first-round pick if the Portland Trail Blazers make the playoffs, likely in the 15–18 range. With potentially two first-round picks, those players should begin to fill gaps in both the starting lineup and bench rotation. I expect the Bulls to remain relatively quiet in free agency, considering they already have nine returning players and could be adding two more rookies. With Billy Donovan potentially stepping down, hiring a new head coach will be a major decision, one that could help jumpstart this rebuild. The 2026–27 season should focus on evaluating which players fit long-term and which ones don’t. Dillingham and Miller have both earned more playing time and have shown flashes of real potential.

Before you go: Tough times build great teams!

As unfortunate as it is, this is part of the process. To improve in the NBA, you need to draft high-caliber talent and to do that, you often have to endure losing seasons. This team may need to lose more games next year, but that doesn’t mean development isn’t happening. Buzelis and Giddey continuing to grow together is critical to the success of this rebuild. The team still needs to see a fully healthy Essengue and what he can contribute. Dillingham is very young and needs more reps, which he should get next season. Jalen Smith has also shown flashes of growth. This is the front office’s opportunity to truly reset the direction of the franchise but they need to make the right moves.