After a forgettable 2024-25 season that culminated in a 39-43 record and another missed playoff run, the Chicago Bulls find themselves at a crossroads of mediocrity again. Locked into a monotonous regular-season cycle, they’ve shown flashes of potential around a core built on youth: Josh Giddey (if he re-signs), Coby White (if he stays), and Matas Buzelis. But flashes alone won’t rewrite the narrative.
Assuming Giddey re-signs and White remains in-house, this nucleus presents speed, playmaking, and developmental upside, but it still lacks the elite two-way impact capable of propelling a true contender. Enter your summer blueprint: five targeted upgrades designed to inject shooting, defense, and high-end frontcourt presence.
Among your picks are a criticized veteran star ripe for a reset, a versatile scoring wing capable of stretching the floor, and a forgotten swingman who brings stability and two-way grit. This feature kicks off with a quick look at those five names, and why each could be the jolt the Bulls need as they pivot from hopeful rebuilding to serious Eastern Conference aspirations.
1. Jonathan Kuminga
Proposed Trade Details
Chicago Bulls Receive: Jonathan Kuminga (Sign-and-Trade)
Golden State Warriors Receive: Nikola Vucevic, 2027 first-round pick (CHI)
At just 22, Jonathan Kuminga has flashed real athleticism, rare motor, and efficient scoring. He posted 15.3 PPG and 4.6 RPG in his 24.3 minutes per game, and a projected $25M AAV sign-and-trade to Chicago could offer massive long‑term bang for the buck. The Bulls, weary of stagnation, could take a swing here; maybe they’ll land a future star who’s still scratching the surface.
A reset initiator for both sides: Golden State’s free agency is status-quo bound thanks to salary crunches and aging stars, and Kuminga reportedly wants a starter’s role and more money than the Warriors are comfortable offering. If Chicago can deliver that role, while packaging Vucevic and a 2027 first-rounder, the Warriors get cap relief and a versatile piece, while the Bulls get a potential cornerstone.
Overall, Kuminga is raw, inconsistent, and hasn’t fully bought into Steve Kerr’s scheme; he’s practically been exiled from Golden State’s long-term plans. But isn’t that what makes him intriguing for Chicago? This is a high-risk, high-reward gambit that could finally shift the narrative in the Windy City.
2. Cam Thomas
Free Agency
Cam Thomas dropped 24.0 PPG last season in Brooklyn, boasting six 40-point games before a hamstring injury cut his year short. The Bulls sorely lack elite off-ball scoring. Imagine pairing Thomas’s instant pop‑up jumper with Josh Giddey’s playmaking. He’d bring gravity, spacing, and nightly highlights to a team light on pop.
This isn’t flashy, All-Star caliber stuff; it’s gritty volume. The Nets reportedly don’t see him as part of their long-term plan, and Thomas may opt into the qualifying offer rather than sign a bridge deal in Brooklyn. That makes him trade‑eligible and motivation-driven for a team like Chicago, willing to build around him.
If the Bulls miss on bigger stars, Thomas is a beautiful Plan B, limited downside, max scoring upside. He can be acquired via sign-and-trade or matching offer sheet, and even if he doesn’t stick long-term, he sells tickets and keeps defenses honest.
3. Zion Williamson
Potential Trade Details
Chicago Bulls Receive: Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, 2027 first-round pick (CHI)
Zion Williamson is a unicorn trauma machine, but when healthy, he’s one of the most explosive interior scorers in basketball (24.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 5.3 APG). Putting him alongside Giddey and White would explosively alter the roster’s makeup in one move: elite rim pressure, elite athleticism, and the kind of interior mismatch takedown ability this Bulls squad lacks.
Chicago would have to gut rotation depth, Vucevic, Williams, and a first-rounder for Zion isn’t subtle. It’s a shift from upside-down projects to a win-now engine. That’s bold, and also risky, since Zion has never stayed healthy for a full season. Still, sometimes moving forward means swinging for it all.
Let’s call it what it is: a splashy headline move that puts the franchise back into national basketball conversation. Bulls fans need hope. Zion isn’t a modest add; he’s a lightning strike. And for a team that desperately needs a statement, he delivers one.
4. Paul George
Potential Trade Details
Chicago Bulls Receive: Paul George
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Patrick Williams, Kevin Huerter, Isaac Okoro, 2027 second-round pick (CHI), 2030 second-round pick (CHI), 2031 second-round pick (CHI)
At 35, Paul George remains an All-Star-caliber two-way wing when healthy (16.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.3 APG). Acquiring him via a package centered on Patrick Williams, Huerter, Okoro, and a few future second-rounders feels steep, but it gets immediate access to playoff-tested, championship-chasing intelligence and scoring punch.
George prefers contention, not tanking. His offensive creation and perimeter defense could firm up the Bulls’ secondary rotation. And while he’s not the star of old, in Chicago, he plays the perfect elder statesman: steady, clutch, playoff-lovin’ guy.
Worth the financial bleed? He comes with a large contract and injury history, but the Bulls need credibility. This signals that they’re serious. And even if George ages quickly, his trade value for a playoff push far exceeds his cost to Chicago.
5. Walker Kessler
Potential Trade Details
Chicago Bulls Receive: Walker Kessler, Kyle Anderson
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry, 2027 first-round pick (CHI), 2027 second-round pick (CHI), 2030 second-round pick (CHI), 2031 second-round pick (CHI)
Walker Kessler offers rim protection, elite rebounding, and switchability at center, a nightmare for opposing loaders in the paint. Utah has reportedly put him on the market, with an asking price rumored at two first-round picks plus a young piece, but Chicago’s offer might come close to that. Plugging Kessler into Chicago’s lineup alongside Buzelis would anchor the interior better than anything else in-house.
Pair him with Anderson for low-maintenance offense and spacing. He’s extension‑eligible, so the Bulls get flexibility, plus a 7’0 defender who instantly upgrades team identity. In a league chasing switching bigs, he’s a necessity and would be the long-term replacement for Vucevic.
Sacrificing Dosunmu, Terry, and picks is steep for a young core, but Kessler is a rising big man. If the Bulls are serious about defense-first recalibration, moving that capital makes sense. He’s forgotten in highlight exchanges, but his value is durable, under-the-radar, and defensive.
