Chicago Bulls Central

Could Matas Buzelis eventually command a $200 million contract from the Chicago Bulls?
On today’s Chicago Bulls Central, Haize breaks down why Amen Thompson’s new five-year, $208 million extension could be a preview of the financial decision Chicago may eventually face with Matas Buzelis. Thompson’s deal doesn’t make him a perfect comparison, but it does show what young wings with franchise-cornerstone upside are beginning to cost.
Matas averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks last season while shooting 46.3% from the field and 34.9% from three. Chicago controls his fourth-year option for 2027-28, and he becomes eligible for a rookie-scale extension next summer. The 2026-27 season could determine whether those negotiations begin at “promising starter” money or genuine franchise-player money.
But before getting to Matas, Haize examines something that could make this Bulls team stylistically fascinating: the bench may have a completely different identity from the starters.
Chicago’s starting group of Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson and Nic Claxton can create through size, passing and matchup advantages. The second unit may need to manufacture offense through speed, pressure, deflections, multiple ball handlers and organized chaos.
A possible bench core of Tre Jones, Rob Dillingham, Dailyn Swain, Leonard Miller or Patrick Williams, and Jalen Smith could change the tempo immediately. Jones provides control, Dillingham brings instant scoring aggression, Swain connects possessions with defense and secondary creation, and Smith gives the guards the spacing they need to attack.
Haize also explains why Norman Powell staggered with the reserves could unlock the entire concept, and why a group featuring Dillingham, Powell, Swain, Matas and Jalen Smith could become legitimately dangerous if the young players shoot and defend well enough.
Finally, the Bulls have another contract decision coming. Isaac Okoro becomes extension-eligible September 17 while entering the final year of his deal at roughly $11.8 million. His defense may be more important than his box-score production because Chicago’s projected starters still lack an obvious point-of-attack stopper. But his 33% three-point shooting creates real spacing concerns next to Giddey and Claxton.
So should Bryson Graham extend Okoro, evaluate him through the first 20–25 games, or use his expiring contract as a trade asset?
🔥 Topics include:
Bulls bench developing its own identity
“Organized chaos” under Tiago Splitter
Tre Jones as the bench stabilizer
Rob Dillingham as the pace changer
Dailyn Swain as the connector
Jaylin Sellers as the wild card
Jalen Smith’s fit with the young guards
Norman Powell leading the reserves
Amen Thompson’s $208M extension
Could Matas become a $200M player?
What Matas must prove before Chicago pays him
How Caleb Wilson complicates the Matas evaluation
Isaac Okoro becoming extension-eligible
Okoro’s defense vs his offensive limitations
Extend, evaluate or trade Okoro?
🎧 Tap in with Haize on Chicago Bulls Central for the full breakdown.
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Could the Chicago Bulls become one of the NBA’s most dangerous transition teams in 2026-27?
On today’s Chicago Bulls Central, Haize breaks down why this roster may finally be built to turn Chicago’s pace into genuinely efficient fast-break offense.
The Bulls already played extremely fast last season, finishing second in pace, but their fast-break production didn’t fully match that tempo. This new group may be much better equipped to convert speed into points. Josh Giddey can rebound and immediately push the ball, Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson can attack opposite lanes, Nic Claxton gives Chicago a vertical rim-running threat, and Norman Powell provides the shooting gravity that prevents defenses from simply collapsing into the paint.
But Haize explains why the real key may actually be defense. Chicago needs Claxton, Matas, Caleb, Isaac Okoro and Dailyn Swain creating deflections, contested shots, defensive rebounds and live-ball turnovers. If Tiago Splitter can combine the aggressive defense associated with his recent coaching experience with the fast-paced offense he has used before, the Bulls could become one of the league’s most uncomfortable teams to face.
Then the show turns to Chicago’s recent player-run minicamp in Miami and a bigger question:
Who is actually leading this team?
Haize lays out a layered leadership structure where Norman Powell establishes the professional standard, Josh Giddey becomes the offensive leader, Nic Claxton serves as the defensive captain, Matas Buzelis grows into the emotional leader of the young core and Caleb Wilson develops naturally into a future franchise voice.
Finally, Haize asks which Bulls reserve could force his way into Tiago Splitter’s closing lineup.
Jalen Smith may be the favorite because his shooting can create the spacing Chicago’s starting five sometimes lacks. Isaac Okoro could become the defensive matchup closer. Tre Jones offers late-game ball security. Rob Dillingham is the scoring wild card. And Dailyn Swain could eventually become the long-term two-way answer.
🔥 Topics include:
Can Chicago become a top-five transition offense?
Josh Giddey pushing off defensive rebounds
Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson as lane runners
Nic Claxton’s vertical gravity
Norman Powell’s transition shooting
Why defense must fuel Chicago’s pace
Tiago Splitter’s potential Bulls identity
Who is the Bulls’ real locker-room leader?
Norman Powell vs Josh Giddey vs Matas Buzelis leadership roles
Nic Claxton as defensive captain
Why Caleb Wilson shouldn’t be forced into leadership too soon
Jalen Smith potentially closing over Claxton
Isaac Okoro as Chicago’s defensive closer
Tre Jones’ late-game value
Rob Dillingham as the wild card
🎧 Tap in with Haize on Chicago Bulls Central for the full breakdown!
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The Chicago Bulls finally have a legitimate defensive anchor in Nic Claxton — but their starting lineup still has one major question: who guards the Eastern Conference’s elite perimeter creators?
On today’s Chicago Bulls Central, Haize breaks down one of the biggest concerns surrounding Chicago’s projected starting five of Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson and Nic Claxton. The Bulls have size, length and improved rim protection, but neither Giddey nor Powell is ideally suited to spend an entire game chasing players like Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, Cade Cunningham and other elite guards through screens.
Nic Claxton should dramatically improve Chicago’s backline defense, but even an elite rim protector cannot constantly clean up straight-line drives and blown screen coverage. If Chicago’s point-of-attack defense fails, Claxton will be forced into two-on-one situations that create lobs, corner threes, offensive rebounds and foul trouble.
That puts Isaac Okoro and Dailyn Swain directly into the spotlight. Okoro is Chicago’s most proven perimeter defender, while Swain could become the long-term answer because of his size, length and versatility. But both create the same problem: Can they provide enough offense to stay on the floor late in games?
Haize then dives into Chicago’s most underrated offensive issue: free-throw generation. The Bulls averaged only 22.2 attempts per game last season, leaving too much of the offense dependent on pace and jump shooting. Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Norman Powell all have pathways to create more rim pressure and help Chicago survive nights when the three-point shot isn’t falling.
Finally, could Matas Buzelis moving to small forward unlock his next leap?
Matas spent the majority of his rookie season at power forward, but Chicago’s projected lineup now places Caleb Wilson at the four and Matas at the three. That could give Buzelis a major size advantage against opposing wings, more opportunities to attack mismatches and a clearer path toward developing the point-forward skills Tiago Splitter wants to unlock.
But the move also demands more from Matas: stronger perimeter defense, better screen navigation, improved ball handling, faster passing reads and consistent shooting.
🔥 Topics include: who guards elite Eastern Conference point guards, Nic Claxton’s defensive impact, Isaac Okoro vs Dailyn Swain, Chicago’s best offensive and defensive closing lineups, why Caleb Wilson may sit in certain fourth-quarter matchups, Bulls free-throw generation, Matas’ need for more physical offense, and whether moving Buzelis to small forward could trigger an All-Star leap.
🎧 Tap in with Haize on Chicago Bulls Central for the full breakdown.
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The Chicago Bulls may not have an internal playoff mandate for 2026-27 — but does development-first basketball mean fans should lower expectations?
On today’s Chicago Bulls Central, Haize dives into some of the most underrated storylines surrounding the Bulls, starting with Jalen Smith, who could quietly become one of Chicago’s most important bench pieces. Nic Claxton is the defensive anchor, but Smith’s shooting, rebounding and offensive versatility could make him the big man who unlocks lineups around Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson.
Then there’s Noa Essengue, Chicago’s forgotten 2025 lottery pick. After his rookie season was essentially wiped out by shoulder surgery, Essengue now returns to a completely different developmental landscape featuring Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain, an ascending Matas Buzelis, Leonard Miller and Patrick Williams. The question isn’t whether Noa dominates immediately — it’s whether he can reestablish himself as part of Chicago’s long-term future.
Haize also examines a brutal early schedule that could shape the tone of the entire season. Chicago opens with six of its first eight games on the road while trying to integrate a new coach, three new starters, a rookie power forward, a new defensive center and an unsettled bench-scoring hierarchy. A rough start would not automatically mean the rebuild is failing — but it could impact rotations, roster decisions and trade conversations quickly.
The episode then shifts to Matas Buzelis, whose second-year development suggests he may be much closer to legitimate two-way stardom than skeptics realize. Matas averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last season and became the youngest player in NBA history to combine at least 100 blocks and 150 made threes in a season. His defensive matchup difficulty and isolation-defense numbers also improved dramatically.
Finally, Haize reacts to ESPN reporting that there is no internal pressure on the Bulls to reach the play-in or playoffs. Bryson Graham’s stated focus is internal growth, while Caleb Wilson has already made his own mentality clear: “I do expect to win.” Those ideas do not have to conflict — but they create the biggest philosophical question of the season: Can Chicago prioritize development without allowing patience to become lowered standards?
🔥 Topics include: Jalen Smith’s hidden importance, Noa Essengue’s “real rookie season,” Chicago’s brutal opening schedule, Isaac Okoro’s contract-year pressure, Tiago Splitter balancing development and accountability, Norman Powell’s trade-deadline future, Tre Jones’ impact on the bench, Matas Buzelis’ path to stardom, and what “no playoff pressure” should actually mean for the Bulls.
🎧 Tap in with Haize on Chicago Bulls Central for the full breakdown.
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Jonathan Kuminga chose Minnesota over the Chicago Bulls — so is Bryson Graham finally done making moves, or is one more roster swing coming before opening night?
On today’s Chicago Bulls Central, Haize breaks down three major questions that could shape the Bulls’ 2026-27 season.
First, the Jonathan Kuminga saga is over. Kuminga agreed to a two-year deal with Minnesota after reportedly choosing the Timberwolves over offers from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland. With Bennedict Mathurin and Sylvain Francisco also off the board, the Bulls have now missed on multiple players who could have added self-created offense.
But does that mean Bryson Graham should force another move?
Chicago still has an open roster spot and flexibility. That gives the Bulls the ability to evaluate Rob Dillingham, Dailyn Swain and Jaylin Sellers, pursue another young player who unexpectedly becomes available, absorb salary for an asset, or simply wait until training camp exposes a real weakness.
Then Haize tackles one of the biggest on-court questions facing Tiago Splitter:
🔥 Who is the Bulls’ closer?
Is it Norman Powell, the proven All-Star scorer who can create efficiently without dominating the basketball?
Is it Josh Giddey, Chicago’s best playmaker and late-game offensive organizer?
Or should Matas Buzelis begin receiving the high-pressure possessions that will determine whether he can eventually become the Bulls’ true No. 1 scoring option?
Haize lays out a potential late-game hierarchy where Giddey quarterbacks the possession, Powell gets the first scoring opportunity and Matas becomes the developing second-side closer.
Finally, the show dives into a Bulls combination that may be getting overlooked:
👀 Josh Giddey + Nic Claxton.
Giddey has already shown how effective he can be creating offense with a skilled center. Claxton gives him a completely different weapon — vertical spacing, rim runs, lob finishing and short-roll playmaking.
If Giddey and Claxton develop chemistry, their pick-and-roll could generate easier scoring opportunities for Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson and Norman Powell.
But there is a major question: Will the Bulls have enough shooting around them to keep defenses from packing the paint?
🔥 Today’s topics:
Jonathan Kuminga choosing Minnesota over Chicago
Is Bryson Graham finished making moves?
Bulls’ final roster spot and $9M+ flexibility
When patience becomes inactivity
Who should close games for Chicago?
Norman Powell vs Matas Buzelis
Josh Giddey as the Bulls’ late-game quarterback
Why Matas needs meaningful clutch possessions
Josh Giddey + Nic Claxton pick-and-roll potential
How Claxton could unlock Caleb Wilson and Matas
Chicago’s biggest starting-lineup spacing concern
How Tiago Splitter can counter teams going under Giddey screens
🎧 Tap in with Haize on Chicago Bulls Central for the full breakdown.
Podcast Links: https://linktr.ee/BullsCentralPod
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