Bulls future gets bleak update fans won't want to hear

The 2025-26 NBA season hasn't even tipped off yet, but Chicago Bulls fans may already be looking ahead. And unfortunately, it is not hard to see why. By Arturas Karnisovas’ own admission, the Bulls are officially in a rebuild. The team has moved on from many of its tenured veterans, and while that was probably overdue, it signals the start of a process that is going to take a while.

The reason is simple: the 2026 NBA Draft class is one of the best we have seen in recent years. The 2027 class, right now at least, is widely viewed as one of the weakest of the modern era. For a rebuilding franchise like the Bulls, that creates a dangerous amount of pressure on a single season.

If Chicago does not land near the top of the draft board next summer, they may not have another real opportunity to reset the roster with elite talent until 2028 or beyond, if the 2027 class pans out the way it is looking at the moment. That is a brutal reality for any fanbase, but especially for one already stuck in limbo for so long.

The Bulls are rebuilding at an unfortunate time

There is a certain level of optimism that comes with starting fresh. Younger players get real minutes, the playstyle tends to open up, and front offices get the benefit of the doubt for a little while. But that window only lasts so long. Eventually, a rebuild has to produce something tangible. It has to lead to stars. The Bulls are hoping that opportunity comes next June. If it does not, the plan becomes much harder to sell.

It also does not help that the Eastern Conference is as wide open as it has been in years. Jayson Tatum is expected to miss most of next season, and Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard are not likely to play either. It's going to be the kind of landscape where even flawed teams can string together wins. And while that may sound like a good thing for Chicago, it could also be what costs them lottery position.

The worst-case scenario for the Bulls would be mediocrity. Not bad enough to be in the top three or four of the 2026 Draft, but not good enough to matter in the standings. That is the outcome Karnisovas and the front office must avoid. There is no quick fix coming in 2027, and that is the risk of embracing a rebuild in a year like this one.

Bulls fans have waited long enough for something real. If the ping pong balls do not bounce their way next June, they might have to wait a lot longer than expected.