The Eastern Conference is stacked right now following all the massive changes that happened this summer. The Chicago Bulls may not be part of the conversation, but Josh Giddey wants them to be.
The Bulls underwent changes of their own, and it started before the February trade deadline. They traded Coby White to the Charlotte Hornets and Ayo Dosunmu to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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They failed to make the playoffs and quickly got to work this summer, starting with the hiring of Tiago Splitter as their new head coach. Splitter replaced Billy Donovan, who had been with the team for six seasons.
The Bulls selected Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and later landed Norman Powell in free agency.
They don’t have marquee signings like the Philadelphia 76ers, who acquired Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, or the Miami Heat, who traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. Still, Giddey believes the Bulls are capable of surprising people.
“It’s obviously a pretty loaded conference,” Giddey said in an exclusive interview with Clutch Points’ DJ Siddiqi.
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“But I think we’ve got a good mix: veterans, young guys, guys that have been there before and experienced playoff basketball, guys that are hungry to get there. I’m comfortable with what we have in the locker room.”
The Bulls actually got off to a hot start last season. They went 5-0 and looked like they were about to surprise people.
However, as many expected, their energy dwindled as the season went on.
Giddey reflected on last season and, looking back at their first few weeks, believes consistency is one thing the team needs heading into the new season.
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“We went through stretches where we looked like a really really good team, then we looked went through stretches where we didn’t look like a good team,” he said.
“So being able to be consistent, having a deep team where we can go to a bunch of different guys to give us different looks, and I think those are important things.”
Giddey was among the consistent Bulls last season. However, he was struck by injury before the All-Star Game.
They will now head on to a new season with a new system under Splitter. Other holdovers are Matas Buzels, Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro, and Jalen Smith.
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