Our Chicago Bulls are finally chasing lottery balls — not the postseason.
After deciding (a little late) that it would be pointless to compete for a fourth straight play-in tournament defeat, Chicago team president Arturas Karnisovas opted for a roster teardown instead. Now, as Tankathon’s reverse standings reveal, the worse the Bulls play means their chances of maximizing lottery balls only gets better.
Karnisovas’ front office flipped several Bulls vets, ultimately pulling off seven trades in exchange for eight new second-round picks and one second-round pick swap with Boston.
Chicago’s new, wholly mismatched roster has been learning on the fly. And it shows.
Head coach Billy Donovan isn’t trying to tank, per se, but there’s such a massive talent disparity (and such a finite frontcourt) that the club generally has run out of steam in second halves of games. It doesn’t help that much of the current club is now hurt.
So which Bulls should be observed closely as potential long-term pieces, and which should fans enjoy while we can because they’re out the door this summer?
Here’s how fans can enjoy the rest of the 2025-26 regular season now that Chicago is blatantly tanking for this final, cursed month — beyond observing the growth of mainstays Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, of course.
© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesThe “Second Draft” Bulls
Rob Dillingham
Dillingham was a highly-touted guard prospect out of Kentucky when he was selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft. But he lost his confidence and failed to crack the rotation for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who eventually flipped him for the far more polished two-way play of beloved ex-Bull Ayo Dosunmu.
On a tanking Chicago squad, Dillingham seemed guaranteed for a minutes boost. He’s still on his rookie-scale contract for at least the next two seasons, and thus is one of the rare new additions still under long-term team control. The problem with several of these pieces (see Ivey, Jaden) is that they arrived to the Windy City as literally damaged goods. Dillingham has been playing through not one but two ganglion cysts in his shooting hand. Understandably, then, his shot has been off — even at the rim. Ultimately, we want to see Dillingham stay aggressive and enthused. Whether or not he can convert his takes any more cleanly remains to be seen.
Jaden Ivey
The 24-year-old off-guard (sensing a trend?), a former No. 5 pick, had secretly been struggling with a sore left knee when he was acquired by the Bulls.
He tried playing through it at first, but now has been shut down for a month. Ivey has essentially been a hollow shell of the slashing maniac he was with the Detroit Pistons prior to a scary foot injury on New Year’s Day 2025. Through just four healthy games for Chicago, he had been averaging 11.5 points on .417/.381/.889 shooting splits, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 dimes, 2.0 swipes and 0.5 blocks. Ivey will be a restricted free agent this summer, meaning the Bulls can match any offer tendered his way. But will the team even get to see much more of him before it’s time to make a decision?
Leonard Miller
Miller has sneakily been one of the more exciting gets of the deadline for Chicago. A 6-foot-10 forward, Miller has been pressed into service by head coach Billy Donovan with key frontcourt cogs Jalen Smith, Zach Collins and Patrick Williams in and out of the lineup recently (Collins is done for the year).
On Tuesday, Miller notched a 17-point, 11-rebound performance against the Golden State Warriors’ decrepit bigs. Adding real size to the club’s frontcourt has been exciting, and the fact that he’s just 22 means he could still have intriguing upside as an energy bench big. The Bulls have a $2.4 million minimum club option on his money for 2026-27.
© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesThe Trade Asset Bulls
Jalen Smith
Since being shifted to primarily a power forward role, Smith seems to have really found his footing. Were he to be returned to a legitimate contender this summer, the floor-spacing big would likely be relegated back to a bench role. In Chicago, Donovan has toggled him in and out of the starting lineup, despite the fact that he is clearly the best option to start at the four spot.
Through 48 contests with the Bulls, Smith has been averaging 10.2 points on a .476/.371/.721 slash line, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 dimes, 0.8 blocks and 0.5 steals in just 20.6 minutes per night.
Smith is not a rim protector. But he also doesn’t need to be. He has the lateral quickness necessary to help him stay in front of his man on defense, and but can defend either power forwards or centers in the open floor. The 25-year-old will be on an expiring $9.4 million contract starting next summer, meaning he’ll ostensibly be extension-eligible. Chicago should be able to fetch real value for him if the team wants to move off his money this summer.
Tre Jones
Jones was almost moved at the trade deadline. Given how many (injured) new Bulls guards arrived from other teams, one wonders why Chicago couldn’t flip Jones’ deal for value. He was one of the few guards on the roster on a long-term contract, so in theory he could have actually netted more than just a few second-rounders. In theory.
A hyper-efficient, low-turnover guard, Jones is a smidge undersized at 6-foot-1, and is a lackluster 3-point shooter (32.2 percent on 1.9 triple takes per this year). Still, he’s averaging 12.5 points on 53.9 percent field goal shooting and 82.9 percent free throw shooting, plus 5.5 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 swipes per.
Jones will have two years and $16 million left on his contract after this season. That’s great value for a contender, so long as they can figure a way to navigate his limited shooting beyond the arc (his game is more predicated on passing and downhill scoring anyway).
© Winslow Townson-Imagn ImagesThe Expiring Contract Bulls
Collin Sexton
The Young Bull had been a workhorse for Donovan, averaging 25.0 points on .593/.469/.789 shooting splits, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 steals a night in his last four healthy games. A leg injury held him out of the Warriors win.
Sexton doesn’t play much defense, but has a knack for clutch buckets, and seemed to be heating up in the circus-shots department before exiting the third quarter Chicago’s defeat to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
Nick Richards
Richards has been quietly pretty impressive on the Bulls. While he’s probably a career backup, he certainly warrants a look as Chicago’s starting center. He’s got the size to bang bodies in the paint, and is the team’s best lob threat and shot deterrent.
He’s on the last season of a three-year, $15 million deal he initially inked with the Charlotte Hornets. The 28-year-old seems unlikely to be back, but he’s been one of the most fun watches on this height-starved roster.
Anfernee Simons
Simons had looked like a fun rental player for a bit, until it surfaced that he’s been playing through a fractured left wrist all season. Like several of the other new vets on expiring contracts, Simons does still hold some value as a potential sign-and-trade piece, in theory.
If he’s unable to play much down the season’s home stretch, his value could be fairly diminished. But the 26-year-old’s age and position don’t really align with Chicago’s future, so he feels unlikely to stick around.
Guerschon Yabusele
It’s rumored that Yabusele has an eye towards returning overseas on his next deal. He eliminated his player option for 2026-27 upon being traded to the Bulls.
A short, stocky, floor-spacing big, Yabusele has looked good in Chicago after washing out in New York. He similarly had a solid NBA comeback season in 2024-25 once the Philadelphia 76ers fully embraced the tank. The Frenchman can knock down triples, but unlike Richards isn’t much good around the rack, in part due to his size deficiencies. Billy continues to start him, for some reason.
He’s been a 39.7 percent shooter from beyond the arc for Chicago, on a whopping 5.2 attempts. At 30, he has finite upside.
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