These days, the Chicago Bulls are a far cry from the franchise that stole hoops fans hearts. Right now, the United Center is the residence of perennial playoff pretenders. However, even though he won’t be coming out of the player’s tunnel anymore, there’s still hope that The House That Jordan Built will eventually be restored to the home of champions.
To get there, there are three burning questions that the organization must answer.
3 Burning Questions For Bulls Heading Into 2025-26 Season
Will Another (All-)Star Emerge?
Though the Bulls have wanted to get younger, the downside of parting ways with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan is that they literally lost All-Star-level players. If or when they find a trade partner for starting center Nikola Vucevic, who turns 35 next month, they’ll be down another proven star. From afar, Chicago’s plan appears to be building around Coby White, Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis. The highest honor each of them has received is an All-Rookie selection.
Yet, over the past two seasons, White has averaged 19.7 points and 4.8 assists per game. In 2024-25, Giddey stuffed the stat sheet with 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while unexpectedly shooting 37.8% from 3. In preparation for this season, Buzelis averaged 22.5 points per game in the Las Vegas Summer League and is averaging 16.3 points per game in the preseason.
Matas Buzelis 19 points (6/11 FG, 5/5 FT) pic.twitter.com/FDd1HBsAfl
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) October 13, 2025
Each of these players’ potential is exciting in a vacuum, as they could become the next star player to emerge in Chicago, regardless of whether they earn any All-Star selections.
Frankly, it’s hard to see White and Giddey giving much more than they have without increasing their usage. Ironically, the ever-confident Buzelis has been making the type of scoring strides that will keep their usage in check. If any member of that young trio can get to the line frequently to up their scoring average, they could be the one to break through the All-Star tape. However, the real determinant could be the team’s success, with voters typically favoring players on competitive teams.
We’re Talking About Playoffs?
Speaking of competitiveness, are the Bulls a playoff team?
In 2024-25, they went 39-43, which was the ninth-best record in the Eastern Conference. Prior to 2020, that would have meant they were eliminated from postseason contention. Instead, they were able to compete for a playoff spot via the Play-In Tournament. Unfortunately for Chicago, they haven’t had much luck in the Play-In Tournament, with three consecutive eliminations. With that being said, leaving their playoff chances up to fate isn’t ideal anyhow. The optimal result would be a top-six record in the East, which would grant them an automatic playoff bid.
The Bulls didn’t make enough offseason improvements to believe that dream will become their reality. Yes, there are contending teams that could struggle due to key injuries, like the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. Yet, multiple teams that they managed to have a better record than last season should be significantly better just because they’ll be healthier. That list includes the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors.
As a result, the Bulls probably have to be at least as good as they were last season, if not better. The answer to whether they will be likely rests on Buzelis’s shoulders. He’s the player who has the highest probability of performing significantly better than last season.
Will They Make A Major Trade?
What is Chicago’s biggest need?
They seem pleased with their guard rotation, which will include White, Giddey, and Tre Jones. They also appear to be satisfied with the wing rotation of Kevin Huerter, Isaac Okoro, and Ayo Dosunmu. There are concerns with the power forward rotation, less because of Buzelis than Patrick Williams, who is likely still on the trade block. If they could, the center rotation of Vucevic, Zach Collins and Jalen Smith would already look different.
As previously alluded to, the Bulls’ primary issue is that they don’t really have a No. 1 guy anymore. At least, not the type of player people would envision leading a championship team. As stars are constantly on the move, Chicago could be a dark horse destination. With that being said, if the goal was simply to add a player who could take them to the next level, they don’t need Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to put them on his shortlist.
Instead, they could turn their attention to players like Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant. If they’re in the playoff race, Washington Wizards forward Khris Middleton might be worth adding on a one-year rental. Rumor has it that Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is still an option for them as well.
All of that being said, the Bulls really would love a new pivot, particularly one they can rely on defensively. Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen could be the most rational target. However, they aren’t the only team that needs a new big man.
© Matt Marton-Imagn Images
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