Chicago Bulls Central

Jonathan Kuminga reportedly turned down the Chicago Bulls — and now Bulls fans have to ask what it really means.
On today’s Chicago Bulls Central, Haize breaks down the updated Kuminga situation after he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a two-year, $13 million deal with a second-year player option. Chicago reportedly made an actual offer, along with the Lakers and Trail Blazers, but Kuminga chose Minnesota’s role, winning situation, and path to rebuilding his value.
Haize explains why the rejection is not devastating, but it is interesting. Kuminga fits Chicago’s age timeline, but the Bulls already have Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson, Patrick Williams, Noa Essengue and Leonard Miller competing for forward minutes. The bigger concern is whether young players view Chicago as a place where they can build value — especially if the Bulls offered more money and still lost out.
Then the show shifts to Bennedict Mathurin, who signed with New Orleans on a two-year, $16 million deal with a player option after averaging 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season. Haize asks whether Chicago made a mistake by not prioritizing a 24-year-old scorer at that price — especially when the Bulls still need downhill shot creation.
Finally, Haize looks at whether Jordan Hawkins should now be on Chicago’s radar. New Orleans had reportedly discussed Hawkins trades before adding Mathurin, and Hawkins’ $7 million salary fits inside Chicago’s remaining room exception. But Haize warns that Hawkins is not Mathurin or Kuminga — he is a low-cost shooting experiment whose actual NBA production has not matched the reputation yet.
🔥 Topics include:
Jonathan Kuminga turning down the Bulls
Why Kuminga chose Minnesota
What the rejection says about Chicago’s appeal
Did the Bulls avoid a Kuminga mistake?
Did Chicago miss a bargain with Bennedict Mathurin?
Mathurin vs. Norman Powell value debate
Jordan Hawkins as a potential Bulls trade target
Whether Hawkins fits next to Giddey, Caleb and Matas
Bryson Graham’s real offseason plan
Patience vs. missed opportunity
🎧 Tap in with Haize on Chicago Bulls Central for the full breakdown!
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ESPN projects the Chicago Bulls to go 31–51 again — but does that actually mean the Bulls failed to improve?
On today’s Chicago Bulls Central, Haize reacts to ESPN’s Summer Forecast placing the Bulls 13th in the Eastern Conference at 31–51, the same record as last season. But the bigger story is the depth of the East: ESPN projects the 10th-place team at 44 wins, meaning Chicago could become a better basketball team and still not climb much in the standings.
Haize explains why ESPN’s projection is defensible. The Bulls are still beginning a real rebuild with Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, Dailyn Swain, Noa Essengue, Rob Dillingham, and a new head coach in Tiago Splitter all bringing different levels of uncertainty. But Haize also pushes back: this is not the same 31-win team simply running it back. Chicago added Caleb Wilson, Norman Powell and Nic Claxton, while also banking on internal growth from Giddey, Matas, Leonard Miller and Dillingham.
Then Haize asks whether Tiago Splitter can unlock Matas Buzelis the way he helped unlock Deni Avdija. Deni jumped from 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists to 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists under Splitter, while becoming a first-time All-Star. The lesson for Matas: attack with force, create for others, get to the free-throw line and stop letting the defense dictate where he plays.
Finally, Haize dives into the Windy City Bulls development plan after Chicago hired Quincy Pondexter to lead the G League team. Should Noa Essengue and Dailyn Swain spend time in the G League? Haize says yes — if it’s done correctly. Noa needs heavy reps. Swain should compete for NBA minutes first, but Windy City can be a development shuttle, not an exile.
🔥 Topics include:
ESPN projecting the Bulls at 31–51 again
Why the East’s depth changes the conversation
Why 31 wins could still be a successful development season
Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey as the real measuring sticks
Tiago Splitter’s possible impact on Matas
Deni Avdija’s leap as a blueprint
Noa Essengue and Dailyn Swain G League debate
Quincy Pondexter, Jordan Brink and Splitter building a real player-development pipeline
🎧 Tap in with Haize on Chicago Bulls Central for the full breakdown!
Podcast Links: https://linktr.ee/BullsCentralPod
Get at us:
Email: BullsCentralPod@gmail.com
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Phone: ‪(773) 270-2799‬

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Matas Buzelis wants to adjust his shot profile — and it could be exactly what his star leap needs.
On today’s Chicago Bulls Central, Haize breaks down why Matas wanting to reduce his three-point volume is not automatically a bad thing. After averaging 16.3 points while taking 6.4 threes per game and shooting 34.9% from deep, Matas may be looking to become more than just a rim-or-three scorer. The key is not abandoning the three-point shot — it is adding a reliable midrange counter that helps him become a true three-level scorer.
Haize explains why the midrange is not dead, why bad midrange basketball is dead, and how a 10-to-15-foot pull-up could help Matas punish defenders who run him off the line. If Matas can become a better finisher through contact, attack closeouts, get to the free-throw line and add a reliable short midrange game, his Year 3 leap could change the Bulls’ offensive ceiling.
Then the show shifts to Jalen Duren, whose contract situation with Detroit could get very interesting. Duren struggled in the 2025-26 playoffs, but Haize explains why Bulls fans should not let one bad postseason erase the fact that he is a 22-year-old All-Star center who averaged nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds in the regular season. If Duren reaches unrestricted free agency in 2027, Chicago should be watching closely — but only after evaluating Nic Claxton, Caleb Wilson’s shooting, and the long-term frontcourt fit.
Finally, Haize connects the Sylvain Francisco story to Rob Dillingham. The Bulls nearly added a EuroLeague guard who could score, shoot, run pick-and-roll and organize the second unit. That should not discourage Rob — it should motivate him. If Dillingham can become a reliable bench scorer and secondary creator, he could save Bryson Graham from spending assets on another guard.
🔥 Topics include:
Matas Buzelis wanting fewer threes
Why Matas needs a midrange counter
How Matas can become a three-level scorer
Why playoff scorers need counters
Jalen Duren’s contract situation
Should the Bulls monitor Duren in 2027?
How Duren would fit with Caleb, Matas and Giddey
Why Rob Dillingham should be fired up by the Francisco pursuit
Rob’s path to becoming Chicago’s bench scorer
How player development can save the Bulls assets
🎧 Tap in with Haize on Chicago Bulls Central for the full breakdown!
Podcast Links: https://linktr.ee/BullsCentralPod
Get at us:
Email: BullsCentralPod@gmail.com
Twitter:@BullsCentralPod
Phone: ‪(773) 270-2799‬

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The Caleb Wilson hype has officially gone wild — but what if some of it is actually justified?
On today’s Chicago Bulls Central, Haize breaks down why the comparisons to Tracy McGrady, Shawn Kemp, Pascal Siakam and Kevin Garnett may be too much for a rookie who has not played an NBA regular-season minute yet — while also explaining why the excitement around Caleb Wilson has a real foundation. Wilson’s Summer League production was not just empty scoring: he averaged 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 1.3 steals and shot 41.9% from three in limited minutes.
Haize explains why Caleb’s ceiling is so fascinating: transition offense, rim pressure, rebounding, defensive versatility, weak-side rim protection and shooting upside. The key is not calling him KG or T-Mac — it’s understanding that potential superstar traits are not the same thing as already being a superstar.
The episode also asks the real Year 1 questions: Is Caleb’s jumper real? Can he create in the half court? Does his defensive IQ match his defensive tools? And can the Bulls develop him properly without forcing him to carry the franchise immediately?
Then Haize shifts to Bryson Graham and whether the NBA’s new market has already complicated part of the Bulls’ rebuild plan. Fans expected Chicago to absorb bad contracts and collect first-round picks, but that market has not really materialized this summer. With future first-round picks becoming more valuable, pick-protection rules changing, and front offices getting smarter about contract structure, Graham may need to evolve his strategy.
Haize explains why Bulls fans should not criticize Graham for failing to take salary-dump deals that were not available — but also why flexibility cannot be the answer forever. Eventually, Graham must turn cap space, movable contracts, roster spots and young prospects into more talent.
🔥 Topics include:
Caleb Wilson hype and superstar comparisons
Why the KG/T-Mac talk is too much
Why Caleb’s Summer League actually mattered
ESPN’s high view of Caleb’s long-term ceiling
Caleb’s jumper, half-court creation and defensive IQ
Why Caleb and Matas Buzelis should grow together
Did the new NBA market hurt Bryson Graham’s rebuild plan?
Why salary-dump first-round picks are harder to find
How the new lottery and apron rules changed the market
Graham’s Plan B: asset creation, deadline flexibility and player development
🎧 Tap in with Haize on Chicago Bulls Central for the full breakdown!
Podcast Links: https://linktr.ee/BullsCentralPod
Get at us:
Email: BullsCentralPod@gmail.com
Twitter:@BullsCentralPod
Phone: ‪(773) 270-2799‬

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The Chicago Bulls almost signed one of the best guards outside the NBA — and that may tell us a lot about what Bryson Graham thinks this roster still needs.
On today’s Chicago Bulls Central, Haize breaks down the report that the Bulls showed interest in Sylvain Francisco, the All-EuroLeague guard who finished second in EuroLeague MVP voting before signing a three-year deal with Panathinaikos. Francisco reportedly said Chicago wanted to complete another trade first, raising one major question: what was Bryson Graham planning?
Francisco is not a long-term core piece like Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, Dailyn Swain or Rob Dillingham, but his skill set makes the Bulls’ interest fascinating. He brings burst, pick-and-roll creation, pull-up shooting, bench scoring and second-unit organization — exactly the areas Chicago may still be evaluating behind Giddey and Norman Powell.
Haize discusses why Francisco could have made sense as a bridge guard, how he would have fit with Caleb Wilson, Nic Claxton and Jalen Smith in pick-and-roll actions, and why his 39.9% three-point shooting last season made him more than just a European scoring guard.
But the bigger story may be the mystery trade. Was Graham trying to consolidate the guard room? Move a veteran like Isaac Okoro or Jalen Smith for assets? Or was Francisco simply part of a larger sequence that never came together because of the NBA’s offseason holding pattern?
Then Haize shifts to Josh Giddey, who may need to score less this season — and that could actually make him more valuable. With Caleb Wilson needing developmental touches, Matas Buzelis needing more creation reps, and Norman Powell capable of handling tough scoring possessions, Giddey’s future may depend on whether he can become the connector who makes everyone better instead of chasing another 17/8/9 season.
🔥 Topics include:
Bulls almost signing Sylvain Francisco
What Bryson Graham may have been planning
The mystery trade Chicago wanted to complete first
Why Francisco’s EuroLeague production mattered
Rob Dillingham, Dailyn Swain and Jaylin Sellers’ opportunity
Josh Giddey’s changing offensive role
Why Giddey may need to score less
Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis needing creation reps
How Giddey’s game scales against the best Eastern Conference defenses
What this means for the Bulls’ long-term backcourt
🎧 Tap in with Haize on Chicago Bulls Central for the full breakdown!
Podcast Links: https://linktr.ee/BullsCentralPod
Get at us:
Email: BullsCentralPod@gmail.com
Twitter:@BullsCentralPod
Phone: ‪(773) 270-2799‬

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