2026–27 Chicago Bulls season

The 2026–27 Chicago Bulls season will be the 61st season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). On April 21, 2026, Billy Donovan stepped down as the Chicago Bulls' head coach. In May 2026, the team hired Stephen Mervis as its new senior vice-president of basketball operations, Acie Law IV as its new vice-president of player personnel, and Bryson Graham as its new executive vice-president of basketball operations. On June 16, 2026, the Bulls hired Tiago Splitter as their new head coach.

This will mark the first season since 2005–06 without Stacey King in the broadcast booth for locally televised games, as he passed away on June 7, 2026, at the age of 59. The Bulls are expected to honor King throughout the season.

Draft picks

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 4 SF United States North Carolina 1 15 Dailyn Swain SG/SF United States Texas 2 38 Braden Smith PG United StatesPurdue 2 56 Vsevolod Ishchenko G Russia PBC Lokomotiv Kuban The Bulls entered the draft holding two first-round selections and two second-round selections.

In the NBA draft lottery, the Bulls' original first-round pick moved up to the top 4. The Bulls' remaining selections were acquired via previous trades: a first-round pick from the Portland Trail Blazers that conveyed to Chicago when Portland made the 2026 NBA playoffs, having previously deferred as a lottery-protected pick since the 2021 Lauri Markkanen three-team trade, and two second-round picks acquired during the 2026 trade deadline, conveyed after being passed on multiple times from their original owners, the New Orleans Pelicans and Denver Nuggets, respectively. Both second-round picks were finalized after the 2025–26 season when New Orleans finished with a worse record than Portland and two other teams to yield the most favorable pick, while Denver finished with a better record than the Golden State Warriors to yield the less favorable pick. The Bulls had also traded their original second-round pick to the Washington Wizards in 2024 and the pick is slated to be used by the Houston Rockets in the draft.

On the second day of the draft, the Bulls traded away both second-round picks that they were holding to the Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks, respectively.

Roster

Standings Division

Conference

Game log Preseason

| 1 | October 7 | Phoenix

| United Center | –

| 2 | October 9 | Memphis

| United Center | –

| 3 | October 11 | @ Denver

| Ball Arena | –

| 4 | October 14 | @ Milwaukee

| Fiserv Forum | –

| 5 | October 16 | Minnesota

| United Center | –

Regular season

| 1 | October 21 | @ Toronto

| Scotiabank Arena | –

| 2 | October 23 | @ Milwaukee

| Fiserv Forum | –

| 3 | October 24 | Washington

| United Center | –

| 4 | October 26 | @ Boston

| TD Garden | –

| 5 | October 28 | New York

| United Center | –

| 6 | October 30 | @ Boston

| TD Garden | –

| 7 | November 2 | @ Philadelphia

| Xfinity Mobile Arena | –

| 8 | November 4 | @ New York

| Madison Square Garden | –

| 9 | November 8 | Philadelphia

| United Center | –

| 10 | November 11 | San Antonio

| United Center | –

| 11 | November 13 | Atlanta

| United Center | –

| 12 | November 14 | @ Minnesota

| Target Center | –

| 13 | November 16 | @ Cleveland

| Rocket Arena | –

| 14 | November 18 | @ Brooklyn

| Barclays Center | –

| 15 | November 20 | Washington

| United Center | –

| 16 | November 22 | Denver

| United Center | –

| 17 | November 23 | Cleveland

| United Center | –

| 18 | November 25 | @ Charlotte

| Spectrum Center | –

| 19 | November 28 | Indiana

| United Center | –

| 20 | December 1 | New York

| United Center | –

| 21 | December 3 | Cleveland

| United Center | –

| 22 | December | TBD

| TBD | –

| 23 | December | TBD

| TBD | –

| 24 | December 13 | Houston

| United Center | –

| 25 | December 14 | Miami

| United Center | –

| 26 | December 16 | Utah

| United Center | –

| 27 | December 18 | @ San Antonio

| Frost Bank Center | –

| 28 | December 19 | @ Dallas

| American Airlines Center | –

| 29 | December 21 | @ Miami

| Kaseya Center | –

| 30 | December 23 | @ Miami

| Kaseya Center | –

| 31 | December 26 | Detroit

| United Center | –

| 32 | December 29 | @ Atlanta

| State Farm Arena | –

| 33 | December 30 | Boston

| United Center | –

| 34 | January 2 | L.A. Lakers

| United Center | –

| 35 | January 4 | @ Indiana

| Gainbridge Fieldhouse | –

| 36 | January 5 | Milwaukee

| United Center | –

| 37 | January 7 | @ Sacramento

| Golden 1 Center | –

| 38 | January 9 | @ Golden State

| Chase Center | –

| 39 | January 10 | @ Phoenix

| Mortgage Matchup Center | –

| 40 | January 12 | @ Utah

| Delta Center | –

| 41 | January 14 | Minnesota

| United Center | –

| 42 | January 17 | Toronto

| United Center | –

| 43 | January 19 | @ Toronto

| Scotiabank Arena | –

| 44 | January 20 | @ Brooklyn

| Barclays Center | –

| 45 | January 23 | Philadelphia

| United Center | –

| 46 | January 25 | Dallas

| United Center | –

| 47 | January 26 | @ Indiana

| Gainbridge Fieldhouse | –

| 48 | January 28 | @ Orlando

| Kia Center | –

| 49 | January 31 | @ Oklahoma City

| Paycom Center | –

| 50 | February 2 | @ Detroit

| Little Caesars Arena | –

| 51 | February 4 | Oklahoma City

| United Center | –

| 52 | February 6 | New Orleans

| United Center | –

| 53 | February 8 | @ Washington

| Capital One Arena | –

| 54 | February 9 | Golden State

| United Center | –

| 55 | February 11 | @ Denver

| Ball Arena | –

| 56 | February 14 | @ Portland

| Moda Center | –

| 57 | February 16 | @ L.A. Lakers

| Crypto.com Arena | –

| 58 | February 17 | @ L.A. Clippers

| 59 | February 25 | Atlanta

| United Center | –

| 60 | February 27 | Brooklyn

| United Center | –

| 61 | March 1 | @ Detroit

| Little Caesars Arena | –

| 62 | March 3 | @ Atlanta

| State Farm Arena | –

| 63 | March 6 | Charlotte

| United Center | –

| 64 | March 7 | Portland

| United Center | –

| 65 | March 9 | Boston

| United Center | –

| 66 | March 11 | Phoenix

| United Center | –

| 67 | March 13 | Memphis

| United Center | –

| 68 | March 15 | Orlando

| United Center | –

| 69 | March 17 | @ Philadelphia

| Xfinity Mobile Arena | –

| 70 | March 20 | @ Cleveland

| Rocket Arena | –

| 71 | March 22 | Sacramento

| United Center | –

| 72 | March 24 | Orlando

| United Center | –

| 73 | March 25 | @ Memphis

| FedEx Forum | –

| 74 | March 27 | L.A. Clippers

| United Center | –

| 75 | March 29 | Indiana

| United Center | –

| 76 | March 31 | @ Washington

| Capital One Arena | –

| 77 | April 2 | Detroit

| United Center | –

| 78 | April 4 | @ Houston

| Toyota Center | –

| 79 | April 6 | @ Milwaukee

| Fiserv Forum | –

| 80 | April 7 | Charlotte

| United Center | –

| 81 | April 9 | Milwaukee

| United Center | –

| 82 | April 11 | @ New Orleans

| Smoothie King Center | –

NBA Cup

East Group C

Transactions

Trades

Date Trade Ref.June 24, 2026To Chicago Bulls Kam Jones 2028 second-round pick swap rightChicago may trade its own pick for either one of the picks originally belonging to Indiana and Phoenix. 2030 second-round pick swap rightChicago may trade its own pick for Indiana's own pick. Cash considerationsTo Indiana Pacers Draft rights to Braden Smith (No. 38)To Chicago Bulls Cash considerationsTo Los Angeles Lakers Draft rights to Vsevolod Ishchenko (No. 56) July 10, 2026Four-team tradeTo Brooklyn Nets Julius Randle (from Minnesota) Draft rights to Joshua Jefferson (No. 28) (from Minnesota)To Charlotte Hornets Mouhamadou Gueye (from Chicago) Naz Reid (from Minnesota) Draft rights to Matteo Spagnolo (2022 No. 50) (from Minnesota) 2028 first-round pick swap rightCharlotte may swap its own pick for Minnesota's own pick. (from Minnesota) 2029 first-round pick swap rightCharlotte may swap its own pick for Minnesota's pick if it falls No. 1–5. (from Minnesota) 2029 MIN second-round pick (from Minnesota) 2030 first-round pick swap rightThrough earlier trades, Minnesota will retain its own pick or receive the pick originally belonging to Dallas and San Antonio, if Minnesota's pick falls No. 2–30; Charlotte may swap its own pick for whichever pick Minnesota has afterward. (from Minnesota) 2032 MIN second-round pick (from Minnesota) 2033 MIN first-round pick (from Minnesota) 2033 MIN second-round pick (from Minnesota)To Chicago Bulls Nic Claxton (from Brooklyn)To Minnesota Timberwolves LaMelo Ball (from Charlotte) Josh Green (from Charlotte) Draft rights to Isaiah Evans (No. 33) (from Brooklyn)September 27, 2026To Chicago Bulls Buddy Hield Cash considerationsTo Charlotte Hornets Rob Dillingham

Free agency Re-signed Date Player Ref.

Additions Date Player Former Team Ref. July 2, 2026 Tobe Awaka Arizona Wildcats (undrafted) July 2, 2026 Jaylin Sellers Providence Friars (undrafted) July 10, 2026 Norman Powell Miami Heat

Subtractions Player Reason New Team Ref. Collin Sexton Free agency Los Angeles Lakers Anfernee Simons Free agency Philadelphia 76ers Guerschon Yabusele Free agency Panathinaikos B.C. (Greece)

References

2026–27 Chicago Bulls season

Bron en licentie