Our Chicago Bulls are finally missing out on the play-in tournament this spring, but that doesn’t mean Chicago fans can’t enjoy the 2026 postseason. Plenty of key Bulls alums could be playing even into June.
Since six-time All-Star former Chicago swingman Jimmy Butler is out for the entire postseason recovering from an ACL tear, the Golden State Warriors are off the board — with apologies to Bulls alums Steve Kerr and Mike Dunleavy Jr. But never fear, there are still plenty of key NBA players with Chicago ties on the docket.
Eastern Conference
Detroit Pistons
32-year-old hyper-athlete Javonte Green has been playing a surprisingly big role off the bench for Detroit. After being dogged by injury issues throughout his Bulls tenure, from the 2021 deadline through the end of 2023-24, he suited up for all 82 games during his first year in Detroit — on a veteran’s minimum deal.
The shooting guard is a frisky, defense-first guard whose switchability on that end of the court makes him a useful cog along the wing.
Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate. My gift to you on this fine morning is Javonte Green propaganda.Green ranks in the 93rd percentile in both steals and deflections per 75 this season. Absolute dawg, has made an impact that goes beyond his numbers for the Pistons pic.twitter.com/IdDjIkSQMj
— Finn Kuehl (@finleykuehl) December 24, 2025During the regular season, Green averaged 6.9 points while slashing .447/.381/.840, along with 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 swipes and 0.7 assists. He’ll be good for some solid defense and flashy in-game dunks through a probably extended playoff run.
Mid-season deadline acquisition Kevin Huerter’s jumper has abandoned him this year, but maybe he’ll have a nice playoff moment or two during what’s expected to be a deep playoff run. And at least Detroit doesn’t have to worry about Jaden Ivey pressers anymore.
After being acquired by the Pistons from Chicago for, uh, Jaden Ivey at the deadline, Huerter still struggled to connect from long range. He made just 29.4 percent of his 4.1 triple tries in 25 regular season appearances. If that jumper doesn’t start falling, he may see his 20.5 minutes a night get slashed during the postseason. Along with Boston, top-seeded Detroit is still awaiting its opponent — who’ll be determined during the play-in tournament.
Boston Celtics
Former longtime Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (ugh) has been disappointing Boston fans since his arrival at the trade deadline. Welcome to the party, pals. He’s a slow, plodding big man whose pace and lack of defensive intensity make him a particularly bad fit on the Celtics. He’ll be competing against Luka Garza for reserve minutes behind Neemias Queta in the playoffs — on a $20 million deal, thanks to Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley
Three-time Chicago champion starter Ron Harper’s son, Ron Jr., is on a two-way deal with the team this year. Thus, he won’t be activated to suit up, but he’d add another title to the family mantle were his Celtics to win.
It appears that we’re on track for a Pistons-Celtics Eastern Conference Finals clash, unless a club like the New York Knicks or Cavs can play spoiler.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Wing Max Strus had a cup of coffee on his hometown Bulls before blossoming on the Miami Heat en route to their 2023 NBA Finals run. He inked a lucrative free agent deal in Cleveland, where he’s been a solid two-way contributor — but he missed most of the 2025-26 season.
The 53-20 Cavaliers will square off against the 46-36 Toronto Raptors in a 4-5 first-round matchup. Question marks remain about Cleveland’s backcourt defense and Toronto’s overall offense — as well as James Harden’s ability to survive close-out games in playoff series without falling apart.
In just 12 healthy contests this season (five starts), the Hickory Hills native averaged 11.2 points while slashing .443/.402/.778, plus 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 dishes. He seems to have secured the starting small forward gig to open up the playoffs. But will his streaky shooting doom him to the bench eventually?
Atlanta Hawks
Journeyman center Tony Bradley, a brief Bull, was a late-season signing for Atlanta. Jock Landale has been ailing with a high ankle sprain since the start of the month.
He spent most of the season with the Indiana Pacers. In three bouts with Atlanta to close out the year, he averaged 3.7 points and 3.0 boards. Bradley could get some bench run during the underdog Hawks’ forthcoming first-round matchup against New York.
Philadelphia 76ers
Andre Drummond has looked absolutely washed in Philadelphia this season. Although he was always a per-minute stat-stuffer as a rebounder, even as a backup in Chicago, he could not protect the rim and proved to be a major defensive minus. Adem Bona has essentially relegated Drummond to riding pine this season.
Former Bulls point guard Cameron Payne had been enjoying some fun moments with Philadelphia, but the team ultimately opted to waive him in favor of elevating another Chicago alum, wing Dalen Terry. Terry had been inked to a two-way deal after the Bulls ditched him at the trade deadline.
Orlando Magic
Remember how the Bulls traded Wendell Carter Jr. and the two first-round picks that became Franz Wagner and Jett Howard to Orlando in exchange for Nikola Vucevic, and Carter was instantly better?
I sure do.
This season, Carter has been largely healthy for an injury-riddled Magic club. While playing a career-most 78 games, the veteran big man has been averaging 11.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks.
The 45-37 Magic have struggled with inconsistent offense, and longtime head coach Jamahl Mosley has found himself in the hot seat. As the East’s No. 8 seed, Orlando will first face off against a No. 7-seeded Philadelphia squad missing Joel Embiid in a play-in bout.
Charlotte Hornets
Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesCoby White is going into a play-in tournament with an actual shot to advance!
He’s been lighting it up off the bench for a rising young Hornets team that has real, bona fide future momentum. Across 21 contests with Charlotte, White has been averaging 15.6 points on .461/.391/.839 shooting splits, 3.0 boards, and 3.0 dimes.
The addition of Coby White has been such a boon for this Hornets teamWhite offers the Hornets a level of self-creation off-the-bench that helps fill the void whenever LaMelo is sitting or restingAnd, he has the shotmaking to play alongside anyone too pic.twitter.com/SkIU85NzIH
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) March 5, 2026White operates as the sixth man on a frisky 44-38 Hornets squad that seems likely to knock off the Miami Heat in their play-in tournament clash Tuesday night.
Also, as an added bonus, former majority team owner Michael Jordan still holds a minority stake in the franchise.
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder
Former two-time All-Defensive Team Chicago Bulls combo guard Alex Caruso has missed much of the season, but he’s been among the league’s premier perimeter stoppers when healthy — on a team full of them.
Caruso, already a two-time champion with Oklahoma City and the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers, is aiming to help the Thunder repeat this summer, especially since the 31-year-old may be the victim of a cap crunch during the offseason.
San Antonio Spurs
Former Bulls legend Luke Kornet has been manning the middle as two-time All-Star San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama’s backup.
Ex-Chicago two-way signing Emanuel Miller is with the Spurs on a two-way deal, meaning he won’t actually see playoff minutes as an active player but he would get a ring if the team won. As a bonus, Harper’s younger son, rookie reserve guard Dylan, has emerged as a solid rotation piece.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Ayo Dosunmu just might be the biggest X-factor role player in the West.
Minnesota slipped into the No. 6 seed, missing out on what would have likely been easy first-round upset showdowns against a Los Angeles Lakers team missing stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves or a Houston Rockets squad without a starting-caliber point guard. Now, the Timberwolves are facing the healing Denver Nuggets, whose 54-win season might belie just how talented they truly are, thanks to a deepened bench.
The Timberwolves have fully activated Dosunmu, helping him strengthen his Sixth Man of the Year campaign — although you could make a pretty good argument he deserves starting point guard consideration next to perennial All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards.
Ayo Dosumnu vs Dallas;18 PTS 15 REB12 AST3 STL8-13 FG+302nd career triple double, lead the team with a +30. The twin turbo is back. pic.twitter.com/1iMEfCH22h
— Wolf Wise Statistics (@WolfWiseStats) March 31, 2026In 24 games for the Timberwolves, Dosunmu has been averaging 14.4 points on a sparkling slash line of .521/.414/.925, along with 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals. If he enjoys a few more triple-doubles against Denver, he could swing a series. It’ll be just his second-ever playoff appearance.
As he was with Chicago, Julian Phillips has been fairly useless for Minnesota.
Los Angeles Clippers
Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesAnother Chi Slamma Jamma alum, Derrick Jones Jr., has carved out a consistent starting role on the LA Clippers — thanks in no small part to his productive run with the 2024 Finals-bound Dallas Mavericks.
Once a “second draft” refurb project in Chicago, Kris Dunn has since developed into a solid point-of-attack defender. His offense never quite clicked, but his ferocity on the other end means he’s still good enough to be a reliable reserve on a play-in team.
The Clippers will suit up against the aforementioned Warriors in a 9/10 play-in meeting on Wednesday. LA’s relative health, and All-Star Kawhi Leonard’s throwback season, should help the club survive the Intuit Dome matchup. Whether the team can survive against the winner of the 7/8 game (either the Phoenix Suns or the Portland Trail Blazers) is another question.
Both squads have advantages in athleticism — although the Clippers have looked semi-rejuvenated, thanks in part to new backcourt additions Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin.
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