Bulls Summer League shows Noa Essengue already on outs

The Bulls finished 2026 Summer League with a 1-4 record, with Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain and Noa Essengue all sitting the fifth and final game out. The fourth game was an ugly affair against the Lakers, with Swain and Essengue struggling again while Wilson put up nice numbers despite a boatload of turnovers. 

Wilson producing as Swain and Essengue stumbled was a theme of the entire Vegas experience for the Bulls. While this new front office should be thrilled with what they saw from Wilson, who earned All-Summer League First-Team honors, there are red flags abound with Swain and Essengue. 

Swain simply played poorly, shooting a ghastly 4-of-31 from the field and playing with zero confidence. The rookie admitted he was overthinking on the court, and it looks like he's a long way from being ready for real NBA minutes. 

Meanwhile, the Essengue situation was just bizarre. Although he didn't play well, how the Bulls handled him suggests this new regime led by Bryson Graham and Tiago Splitter aren't Essengue fans. The youngster's minutes were jerked around as Summer League went on, and Splitter was very critical of his play. 

Is Essengue already done in Chicago? While it's too soon to declare him a bust, Ricky thinks the writing is on the wall for the Frenchman's time with the Bulls. It would be a major bummer if the Bulls get absolutely nothing out of Essengue after using a lottery pick on him in 2025, but these summer signs aren't promising.

As the Bulls move past Summer League, it does seem as if the roster is mostly set. Perhaps there are more moves to be made once LeBron James makes his decision and the league springs back into action to fill out rosters, but there haven't been many other rumors out there about the Bulls doing anything else. 

As it stands, the early Vegas odds suggest the Bulls will be one of the worst teams in the NBA. That looks true on paper, but surprises do happen and the Wilson/Matas Buzelis duo should be fun to watch no matter the record. Can this pairing develop into the next great young wing duo in the coming years?  

Interested in advertising on this podcast? Email sales@bluewirepods.com!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.