Rooting for a Bulls team that could be either really good or really bad next season (cough cough, Norman Powell), there are things outside of winning that Chicago fans will have to find to root for.
One of those could be watching one of our own have a big breakout season. Or maybe we just find solace in knowing the Bulls are at least in a better place than the Chicago Sky.
Also, are Chicago pivoting away from Benedict Mathurin for something worse?
Let’s talk Bulls basketball.
Indiana Pacers guard/forward Bennedict Mathurin passes the ball while Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams defends him. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images The Chicago Bulls are still not done with free agency, with one roster spot remaining and a little bit of money to work with. For weeks, it felt like the Bulls had their eyes set on restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin. But with the ongoing Kawhi Leonard investigation keeping the Clippers in limbo, there was nothing but rumors and reports surrounding Mathurin, with nothing able to be finalized until Los Angeles could renounce his rights. After weeks of the Bulls being reported as a team in the Mathurin race, though, it now sounds like Chicago has bowed out.According to Jake Fischer, “From talking to multiple people with knowledge of the situation today, it sounds like Mathurin’s situation is coming down to figuring out a sign-and-trade with the Pelicans or taking the qualifying offer with Los Angeles.”
Noticeably, Chicago wasn’t mentioned. It sounds like Mathurin’s options have essentially come down to New Orleans or staying in Los Angeles.Clip: pic.twitter.com/lLzTTvjaUt
— APHoops (@APH00PS) August 25, 2026 Instead, the Bulls are now being mentioned as a team that could help facilitate a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade to the Lakers. According to Jake Weinbach, that would mean Chicago taking on either Dalton Knecht or Jaden Hardy. If that deal comes without any additional assets, like draft picks, then this is an awful move for the Bulls. As far as I know, the Lakers don’t have any picks to offer, and I seriously doubt the Hawks would give up picks just to help move Kuminga. So, please, Chicago, don’t touch that trade with a 10-foot pole. In other news, the Bulls may not be a team high on the power rankings, but they do have players on the roster who could be in contention for some league awards. The most obvious one is Caleb Wilson potentially winning Rookie of the Year. But another name that NBA media is high on is Matas Buzelis, who could potentially make a run at Most Improved Player. Danny Chau recently publishedt an article for The Ringer titled ‘The Six Most Intriguing Breakout Candidates for the 2026-27 NBA Season.’ The six names he mentioned were Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, Kal’el Ware, Naz Reid, Scoot Henderson and, of course, Matas Buzelis. Chau wrote,“Buzelis came into the league a remarkably advanced slasher for a wing who plays at around 6-foot-10 in shoes… Historically, defenders could force him off course just by putting their chest in his way, but Buzelis’s feel for scoring has developed alongside his scouting report. His most impressive drives seem to preempt the contact by a beat or two, as he sidesteps his defender with a windmill gather or stuns them with a frictionless hesitation move.”
But where Chau expects Matas to take another step forward is in “embracing the contact.”“For a famously lanky athlete, strength gains are always going to be less readily visible than they would be for a more stout bodybuilder, but the aesthetics are immaterial here. In basketball, it’s about how those incremental gains affect mentality. For such an accomplished driver, Buzelis’s free throw attempt rate has been mediocre at best. Does Buzelis feel strong enough to weaponize the bumps he takes in the lane?
The confidence, body awareness, and contact balance that came with targeted strength training played a big part in what fueled the star leaps from players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Deni Avdija. Buzelis’s string-bean frame growing up forced him to develop a bag uncommon for players his size; when you combine that wealth of feel with a newfound appetite for physicality, a breakout seems imminent.”
And honestly, it’s not hard to see the path. Matas nearly doubled his points, rebounds, assists and steals per game from his rookie season to his sophomore season, while also finishing in the top 10 in the NBA in total blocks.Matas Buzelis benching 225…wtff ?? pic.twitter.com/tLcENX2Ufk
— BullsMuse (@BullsMuse_) August 17, 2026 So what does the next jump look like? If Buzelis can get himself into the 20+ points-per-game range, grab around 6-7 rebounds a night and continue to be an elite shot blocker, he could have a legitimate case for Most Improved Player. And finally, Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter and head coach Tyler Marsh addressed the media after the Sky were eliminated from the WNBA Playoffs. One of the basketball-related topics they addressed was the Sky shutting down Skylar Diggins, who hasn’t played a game for the team since early July after being asked to come off the bench in an attempt to offset the Sky’s struggles. That decision eventually poured into an ugly social media debacle that, for the most part, hasn’t really been addressed since. So when Marsh was asked what was holding the organization back from shutting Diggins down for the season now that the Sky have been eliminated from the playoffs, his response was:Marsh on what's holding the organization back from shutting Skylar Diggins down for the season after being eliminated from playoffs:“That’s something that's still going to be kind of held back with us and reserve those conversations for Skylar, myself and our front office.”
— Chicago State of Mind Sports (@ChiStateOfMind_) August 25, 2026 Just so awkward. I can’t wait to see what free agents are lining up to play for the Sky next season with the last couple of seasons as a barometer.BULLS ON BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
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