Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Pod

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.

Caleb Wilson takes Summer League by storm! Rest of Bulls not so much

Caleb Wilson's dominant start to Summer League has Ricky and Jason going all in on the hype surrounding the No. 4 pick. The Bulls rookie took Vegas by storm with a historic 35-point debut against Cameron Boozer and the Grizzlies that saw him make seven 3-pointers, matching the number of triples he hit in his entire lone season at UNC. There's plenty of reason to believe this shooting improvement is real, as Wilson has been putting in a lot of work and he has been cashing in all types of looks from downtown in Vegas. Wilson has also popped in other ways, showing some off-the-dribble juice and pulling off a number of a highlight-reel blocks. The rookie also had arguably the dunk of the summer with his poster against the Jazz. While he hasn't been perfect, with some turnover and free throw issues plaguing him at times, this Summer League run has undoubtedly been a rousing success for the Bulls' new franchise pillar. The question now is if he'll play anymore games or shut it down.  As good as Wilson has been, Dailyn Swain has been the exact opposite. Swain has been a disaster, struggling to handle point guard duties and showing a completely inability to make shots. Swain is 3-of-26 from the field and 0-of-7 from 3 so far, missing a number of layups badly and displaying an ugly 3-point shot that needs a lot of work. His inability to finish around the rim has been especially strange given how prolific he was at Texas.  Swain showed some better signs as a playmaker in the Bulls' victory over the Wizards, but he still missed all seven of his shots and is 0-of-16 over the last two games. Swain should definitely keep playing in Vegas to get more reps.  Meanwhile, Noa Essengue has been a mixed bag and also should see more minutes in Vegas. While Essengue has shown tantalizing flashes as a defender, his offense is very raw and a major work in progress. He needs to get a lot stronger so he's not always getting knocked off his spots and hitting the deck, and he really needs to tighten up his handle and decision-making.  Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter benched Essengue to start the second half against the Jazz, and then the second-year forward came off the bench against the Wizards. Is he already in the doghouse? It's not a great sign, but the Frenchman is still trying to catch up after missing almost his entire rookie season.  As of now, it doesn't look like Swain or Essengue belong in the Bulls' regular rotation, but a lot can change by the time the season gets going.  Finally, ESPN's Jamal Collier wrote a story exposing a number of the failures of the Arturas Karnisovas regime, ultimately highlighting the improved vibes in the building with Bryson Graham leading the show. But will the results be better? Time will tell.  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.

Norman Powell is a Bull!

The Bulls started NBA free agency by bringing back Zach Collins on a two-year, $17 million contract extension, and then they made their big move by landing Norman Powell on a two-year, $45 million deal. While the Collins deal seemed weird on the surface, the team option on Year 2 helps and he could be a tradable piece almost immediately.  The Powell move was telegraphed heading into free agency, and getting him on a two-year deal with a team option is a good piece of business for a Bulls team that badly needed to add shooting. Powell is at nearly 40% from 3-point range for his career and is coming off arguably his two best seasons, making him a solid veteran addition at shooting guard.  Ricky and Jason break down these deals and how they fit into Bryson Graham's first offseason as a whole. While it hasn't been a slam dunk, Graham has done a fine job adding both young talent and veterans, with the potential of signing another player with the room exception. Could that be Anfernee Simons?  While there were have been some missed opportunities in the draft and with the cap space, Graham is essentially kicking the can down the road with some of these moves and hoping his first-round picks are big winners. Patience is required to see how Graham will turn out as a lead executive, and it'll be interesting to see what he does with this roster at his first trade deadline.  Graham's perfectly fine offseason comes amid an NBA that has gone crazy with blockbuster trades. Graham needs to be positioning the Bulls to be in position to make one of those kinds of trades in the coming years, and the hope is steps will be made toward that this upcoming season.  Of course, this upcoming season still projects to be bad record-wise given the status of the roster, which is totally fine as long as there's youth development and a building of the asset base. We'll see if Graham has any other moves up his sleeve this offseason.  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.

Bulls 2026 NBA Draft recap, free agency preview extravaganza

After crushing the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, Bryson Graham's second round was a bummer given he traded out of both picks. The first trade was selling the No. 56 pick to the Lakers for cash considerations, and then while on the clock the Bulls traded No. 38 to the Pacers for Kam Jones, future second-round pick swaps and cash. Will Jones even make the roster after a rough rookie season with the Pacers?  While this was a disappointing outcome that continued an ugly trend from past regimes, there's no reason to overreact about Graham just yet. There's still a lot of offseason left, and Graham did take the time to speak to multiple local media outlets about his moves. Even if some of his explanations fell flat, it was good to actually hear him defend his decisions.  With the draft now in the rearview mirror, free agency takes center stage. There has already been a lot of action on the trade front, including a wild LaMelo Ball trade that impacts two former Bulls in Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White. Dosunmu is heading back to the Wolves on a five-year, $112 million contract and will now share a backcourt with Ball and Anthony Edwards, while White is returning to the Hornets on a three-year, $74 million contract to presumably be Ball's replacement. As for the Bulls themselves, they badly need shooting, and there's plenty of smoke billowing around Norman Powell. Is this legit interest or just an agent using them as leverage? Powell would bring much-needed shooting to the roster, but he is 33 years old, so it would have to be a short-term contract.  Ricky and Jason look at a number of other possible targets, including a bunch of shooters (guards and bigs) and also Jalen Duren now that it looks like there's a chance he leaves the Pistons. Detroit did beat Chicago to the punch on an Isaiah Joe trade, so that's off the table. Kevin Huerter is also returning to the Pistons.  Finally, the Bulls did add some intriguing undrafted free agents, and this year's Summer League roster should be a lot of fun.  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.

Bryson Graham CRUSHES first Bulls draft after iffy Nic Claxton trade

The Bulls drafted Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, a choice that was telegraphed for quite some time. Then at No. 15, Bryson Graham went with Dailyn Swain, who had been on Ricky's radar for a while.  With these two picks, Ricky declares that Graham "crushed" his first draft, bringing hope for the future in Chicago. Ricky breaks down Wilson's game, discusses his SB Nation feature story on the new Bulls star and dismisses comps on both ends of the spectrum to both Kevin Garnett and Tyrus Thomas.  As for Swain, the Bulls are getting a slasher who can get into the paint at will and who will bring a lot of versatility to the floor. While the pick brings some questions about the roster's lack of shooting, Swain does have some upside there. Could he wind up being a poor man's Jimmy Butler?  With the first round in the books, Ricky names 3 second-round targets and implores the Bulls to possibly even trade up for them.  While these draft picks are bringing good vibes, the Nic Claxton trade that went down right before the draft (but can't become official until July) raises some concerns. Once a rising star at center for the Nets, Claxton has declined in recent years, with back issues apparently playing a role.  Will a fresh start in Chicago help rejuvenate Claxton and turn him into a fringe DPOY candidate again? Or will he continue to be an average-ish center with no further upside? The good news is the trade cost pretty much nothing but cap space, and Claxton's declining contract is a plus as well.  Finally, the guys look ahead to some possible ways to improve the shooting on the roster. Isaiah Joe, anybody? Coby White reunion? Free agency begins in a week after Round 2.  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.