After racking up yet another devastating defeat on Monday (this time in a 126-107 blowout to the star-heavy Philadelphia 76ers), our Chicago Bulls have tumbled to a dismal 1-6 season start.
Things have gotten so heinous, in fact, that BlogABull has been openly pondering whether or not a starting lineup change is in order. Although both Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey have been pretty bad, BlogABull pitches a possible Giddey benching in favor of the more efficient Tre Jones.
Jones is a more frequent paint scorer and far better at protecting the rock, as Giddey plays through a lingering wrist injury he’ll be dealing with all season. Buzelis, meanwhile, remains on his rookie-scale deal and felt like he had possible All-Star upside long-term heading into the year. He’s looked especially rough when playing alongside the Bulls’ new most important player, rookie forward Caleb Wilson. Buzelis seems tentative and unsure of where to be when the two starting forwards share the floor. Splitter often swaps in Isaac Okoro or Leonard Miller for Buzelis across long stretches in fourth quarters.
The Bulls are in the midst of a brutal 10-game stretch against projected NBA playoff teams. Heck, they’ll likely be hard-pressed to notch a single win before tilts against the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards in two weeks.
Under new head coach Tiago Splitter, most Bulls not named Caleb Wilson, Jalen Smith, or Tre Jones have looked deeply disengaged. Even new $44.1 million signing Norman Powell, an All-Star last year, has struggled with his shot. In seven healthy games this year, the 33-year-old has been averaging 20.3 points on .418/.340/.790 shooting splits, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Powell has generated a ton of his offense by parading to the free throw line, taking a career-most 8.9 foul shots a night while… flopping incessantly. Given that Powell’s scoring hasn’t really translated to wins, it makes sense that Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report has revealed the Bulls are looking to trade him well before February’s deadline.
Chicago clearly misses Nicolas Claxton’s defense and ability to elevate above the rim at the center position. Jalen Smith, starting in his stead, is more of a natural four, and lacks Claxton’s rim protection. Zach Collins can approximate some of that defense around the rack while chipping in some 3-point shooting, although he’s never healthy and has been in and out of Splitter’s rotations.
The Bulls are really, really bad.
When looking at their remaining season schedule, it seems quite possible the Bulls will go 4-17 across their first 20 games! I’m assuming Chicago can beat the Nets and Wizards (although the Wizards are better and previously took down the Bulls sans No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa), and am wondering which Indiana Pacers will even be available when they face Chicago on Nov. 28.
Fans expecting a “fun-bad” season have been in for a rude awakening so far.
Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham.Why a Bad Bulls Season Could Help Chicago’s Long-Term Outlook
The Bulls might actually be bad enough to enter the dreaded draft “relegation zone,” in the first year of its existence.
Adam Silver pushed through a wave of draft reforms in an effort to curb the kind of naked tanking that made a third of games unwatchable by the end of the 2025-26 season. Beyond expanding the lottery to the bottom 16 teams (he added the two No. 8 seeds to the mix), the biggest change was designed to disincentivize teams from trying to stack losses. The clubs with the three worst records in a given year are actually given lower odds to earn a top-5 draft pick than the teams with the fourth-through-10th-worst finishes!
But there’s another, less heralded fresh quirk that should be getting Bulls fans amped that Chicago’s this bad. Teams are not permitted to draft a top-5 pick across three consecutive seasons. The Bulls already moved up to select rookie phenom Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 selection in this past June’s 2026 NBA Draft. So if Chicago has a top-5 selection this summer, the team won’t be allowed to rise that high in 2028.
And that would be a problem, as next year’s draft is supposed to be fairly bad, while the’28 draft is supposed to be good. Thus, if the Bulls stink right now and have worse odds for a top-5 pick, that would actually be the ideal outcome!
Chicago Bulls guard Norman Powell.Can the Bulls Actually Stay This Bad Throughout the Year?
Even with the new rules, a ton of clubs have been worse than expected. Zach LaVine’s 1-6 Sacramento Kings occupy a nadir of their own, and might even threaten to finish in single-digit wins this year. But as of this writing, a whopping six teams have only claimed a single victory this season. Beyond Sacramento, the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets also share Chicago’s 1-6 record. The LA Clippers and Utah Jazz have gone 1-5 thus far. Hot off a playoff appearance, the Phoenix Suns have regressed mightily after adding Miles Bridges in a not-quite-blockbuster trade this summer. Phoenix is currently just 1-4.
None of the Bucks, Nets, Clippers, or Grizzlies even possess their own pick (the mighty Houston Rockets could get even better next year!). In theory, then, none of those clubs would actually want to win much, so they could hopefully muck up the works for the clubs who possess their selections.
I hadn’t realized so many potential relegation teams don’t own their own pick. Does this somehow de-incentivize them from winning if they’ll be bad anyway? t.co/DPwL3ToImk
— Brett W. Huff (@bretthuff22) November 3, 2026Ditching Powell would at least help Chicago lose some scoring versatility and some veteran savvy. That could help further tank the Bulls’ season which, again, the team should want to do. With Marcus Spears, CJ Rosser, Bruce Branch, and Nikola Kusturica all looming, Chicago should prioritize planning for a top-5 seed in 2028.
The Bulls will likely be better by 2027-28. Major personnel changes could be in the offing, and Wilson at least should be far better by then. Beyond trading for or signing an All-Star in his prime, the Bulls will probably remain pretty bad during the 2027-28 season
Next summer, new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham will have team options on Powell, Collins, and Jones. Jalen Smith and Isaac Okoro will be coming off the Bulls’ books, barring extensions. Forward Leonard Miller will likely be retained, although he also fits unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2027.
Chicago could finally be “fun-bad” next year, so in theory they’ll hopefully play themselves at a level above the league’s absolute dregs. That would help improve their chances at earning their second top-5 pick in three seasons, in a stronger draft!
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