Chicago Bulls 2026-27 roster: full player list, depth chart and cap breakdown

A new voice on the sideline

Chicago’s rebuild also comes with a new voice running the huddle. Tiago Splitter was hired as the Bulls’ head coach this offseason, arriving in Chicago after a season in Portland. He inherits a roster built around a young core and a flexible cap sheet, meaning his first season on the Bulls’ bench will double as an evaluation window for exactly which of Chicago’s prospects — from Buzelis to the incoming rookie class — fit his long-term vision.

The Bulls chose cap flexibility

Chicago acquired Nic Claxton using its cap space.

The Bulls used $23.1 million of their cap space to absorb Claxton, dropping from roughly $54 million in room to about $30.9 million in remaining flexibility. That is the strategic tell of Chicago’s summer: they added a starting-caliber center.

The 2026-2027 salary cap is set at $164,961,000, with the second apron at $221,686,000. Josh Giddey’s 2026-2027 cap hit is $25,000,000, and Basketball-Reference lists $75,000,000 as the largest guarantee tied to his deal.

Full roster

Here is Chicago’s 16-man roster heading into the 2026-2027 season, with height, 2025-2026 per-game scoring and projected role.

• G — Josh Giddey — 2.03m — 15.3 / 8.2 ast — Starter — offensive hub
• SG — Norman Powell — 1.90m — 16.3 — Starter — veteran scorer
• SF — Matas Buzelis — 2.08m — 15.9 — Starter — breakout wing
• PF — Patrick Williams — 2.01m — 6.8 — Starter — under pressure
• C — Nic Claxton — 2.11m — 11.1 — Starter — new arrival, rim protector
• PG — Tre Jones — 1.85m — 12.5 — Rotation — backup PG
• PF/C — Jalen Smith — 2.08m — 9.7 — Rotation — floor-spacing big
• SF — Isaac Okoro — 1.96m — 8.2 — Rotation — defensive specialist
• G — Jaylin Sellers — 1.96m — 18.3 — Rotation — shooter
• F — Caleb Wilson — 2.06m — 19.8 — Rookie — 2026 No. 4 pick
• SF — Dailyn Swain — 2.03m — 17.3 — Rookie — 2026 No. 15 pick
• F/C — Tobe Awaka — 2.03m — 9.3 / 9.1 reb — Developmental — rebounder
• PG — Rob Dillingham — 1.85m — 5.0 — Developmental
• SF — Noa Essengue — 2.05m — 4.9 — Developmental
• SF — Leonard Miller — 2.08m — 4.5 — Depth
• C — Zach Collins — 2.11m — 6.1 — Depth

Projected starting five

Josh Giddey (G, 2.03m) is the engine. Across 60 games in 2025-2026 he averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 28.9 minutes, shooting 44.8% from the field and 36.4% on 3-points. That assist figure is the highest on the roster by a wide margin, and his near triple-double baseline makes him the offensive hub. He earns $25,000,000 in 2026-2027.

Norman Powell (SG, 1.90m) is the veteran scoring punch and the roster’s most reliable shot-maker. He put up 21.8 points in just 22.1 minutes across 77 games at 47.3% from the field and 38.2% on 3-points, with 82.8% free throw shooting. He is on $21,500,000 for 2026-2027.

Matas Buzelis (SF, 2.08m) averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks across 2025-2026, starting 79 of 80 games, on 46.4% shooting and 34.9% on 3-points. The blocks number from a small forward is the standout — he is the rare wing who protects the rim.

Patrick Williams (PF, 2.01m) remains the roster’s most difficult contract. In 74 games he managed only 6.8 points on 37.2% shooting, with 6 starts. He is owed $18,000,000 in both 2026-2027 and 2027-2028. His 34.7% on 3-points is passable; his overall efficiency is not, and he now faces genuine competition for minutes.

Nic Claxton (C, 2.11m) is the new defensive anchor. He started 68 of 73 games last season at 11.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 blocks, shooting an efficient 57.2% from the field. The caveats are familiar: 15.8% on 3-points and 61.6% from the free throw line mean he offers no spacing and is a late-game liability. He is on $23,147,727 for 2026-2027, dropping to $20,943,184 the following year.

The rookie class is the real story

The 2026 NBA Draft gave the Bulls two pieces worth getting excited about.

Caleb Wilson (F, 2.06m) was selected 4th overall by the Bulls in the 2026 NBA Draft out of North Carolina. His path echoes a franchise legend: North Carolina to the Chicago Bulls is the exact same route Michael Jordan took in 1984, and Wilson becomes the third Bulls player selected in the top 10 out of North Carolina, after Jordan (3rd overall in 1984) and Coby White (7th overall in 2019). At North Carolina, before a thumb injury prematurely ended his college season, Wilson was averaging 22.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game for the Tar Heels.

His 2025-2026 line for shows 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks in 31.3 minutes across 24 games, on 57.8% shooting, starting all 24. Wilson said: “I want to become the greatest player of all time.” On the Jordan comparison, Wilson said: “I’m writing my own story, honestly. I want to be better than Mike.” The one clear weakness is the jumper — 25.9% on 3-points on limited volume. If that shot develops, Chicago has a cornerstone.

Dailyn Swain (SF, 2.03m) was selected 15th overall by the Bulls in the same 2026 NBA Draft out of Texas. His 2025-2026 line was similarly productive: 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 36 starts, at 54.2% from the field and 34.4% on 3-points. A 2.03m wing creating at that rate with those steal numbers fits exactly the two-way profile modern rotations require.

Bench and depth

Tre Jones (PG, 1.85m) is the steady backup point guard — 12.5 points and 4.8 assists in 73 games (41 starts) at 55.2% from the field, though only 31.5% on 3-points. That field goal percentage from a guard is excellent shot selection.

Jaylin Sellers (G, 1.96m) brings the shooting the frontcourt lacks — 18.3 points on 42.9% on 3-points and 85.9% from the free throw line across 33 starts. On a roster where Claxton and Williams both have shooting questions, a genuine 43% shooter from beyond the arc has an obvious role.

Rob Dillingham (PG, 1.85m) played 81 games, but in a limited role: 12.0 minutes, 5.0 points, 1.8 assists, on inefficient 39.7% shooting and 31.3% on 3-points.

Isaac Okoro (SF, 1.96m) started 62 of 71 games at 8.2 points on 46.2% shooting. He is a defensive specialist whose offense remains modest.

Jalen Smith (PF/C, 2.08m) is quality frontcourt insurance — 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 19.6 minutes across 56 games, shooting 37.3% on 3-points, making him the floor-spacing big Claxton is not.

Tobe Awaka (F/C, 2.03m) deserves attention as a rebounding specialist: 9.3 points and 9.1 rebounds in only 20.7 minutes across 39 games, on 58.7% shooting and a surprising 41.7% on 3-points on low volume. Per-minute, that rebounding rate is elite.

Noa Essengue (SF, 2.05m) is one of the developmental pieces worth watching. His 2025-2026 sample was minimal — 19 games, 7.6 minutes, 4.9 points — and the shooting was rough at 19.2% on 3-points, though he did hit 84.2% from the line, usually a positive indicator for future shooting development.

Leonard Miller (SF, 2.08m) appeared in 83 games but averaged just 9.0 minutes and 4.5 points, albeit at 56.1% shooting. Zach Collins (C, 2.11m) is deep frontcourt cover after only 16 games (11.5 minutes, 6.1 points).

The Giddey question defines the season

Chicago’s central decision is not about the rookies — it is about Josh Giddey. He is on $25 million for both 2026-2027 and 2027-2028, and the basketball case for and against keeping him long-term is genuinely split.

The basketball case for keeping him is real: 8.2 assists per game and 7.5 rebounds from a 2.03m guard is a genuinely rare production profile, and his 36.4% on 3-points is a real strength in his shooting profile. The case against is that his 44.8% field goal percentage and defensive limitations may cap the team’s ceiling — and that Chicago’s most talented long-term players may be Buzelis and Wilson, neither of whom needs a ball-dominant guard alongside them.

Season outlook

This is a roster built on patience. Chicago kept roughly $30.9 million in space and stacked young talent rather than chasing an immediate upgrade.

The realistic 2026-2027 outcome is a play-in team. Powell and Giddey give the offense a functional floor, Claxton and Buzelis provide legitimate rim protection, and Jones stabilizes the second unit. The frontcourt’s shooting — Claxton at 15.8% on 3-points, Williams at 37.2% from the field — will make offensive droughts a recurring problem.

What makes Chicago worth watching is the variance. If Buzelis keeps developing next season, if Wilson translates his college and 2025-2026 production into a full NBA season, and if Sellers’ shooting keeps translating, the Bulls have a young core, a new head coach evaluating fit, and the cap room to add to it at the deadline. If Williams’ contract stays dead weight and Giddey’s future becomes a distraction, Chicago still holds the cap room and young talent to reshape the roster going forward — with Splitter’s arrival giving the front office a fresh voice to help figure out which pieces fit that timeline.

FAQ

Who is on the Chicago Bulls roster for 2026-2027?

The 16-man roster includes Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Patrick Williams, Nic Claxton, Tre Jones, Jalen Smith, Isaac Okoro, Jaylin Sellers, Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain, Tobe Awaka, Rob Dillingham, Noa Essengue, Leonard Miller and Zach Collins.

Who did the Bulls draft in 2026?

Chicago selected Caleb Wilson 4th overall out of North Carolina and Dailyn Swain 15th overall out of Texas in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Who is Chicago’s head coach?

Tiago Splitter, hired this offseason after a season in Portland.

What is the Bulls’ cap situation for 2026-2027?

The NBA salary cap for 2026-2027 is set at $164,961,000, with the second apron at $221,686,000. Chicago holds