NBA: Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls Bulls guard Tre Jones (30) passes the ball to center Nikola Vucevic (9) during the second half against the Detroit Pistons at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

NBA insider rips Chicago Bulls in latest power rankings

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Zachary Roberts | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 11:30 AM ET

Now that free agency is nearly over, we have a good idea of what the Chicago Bulls will look like in 2025-26. Barring a shocking turn of events, Josh Giddey will re-sign eventually. That gives them largely the same team as last year, a roster that went 39-43 and lost as the nine seed in the play-in game. All it gets the Bulls is a lackluster place in the latest NBA Power Rankings and a scathing criticism from one NBA insider.

Chicago Bulls ripped by NBA Power Rankings

The Chicago Bulls, according to CBS Sports’ way-too-early power rankings, are the 22nd-best team in the NBA. They’re only ahead of teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, and others. It’s not pretty.

“Another offseason, another round of befuddling decisions by the Bulls. They traded Lonzo Ball for Isaac Okoro, who struggled to get wing minutes on the Cavs due to his lack of shooting proficiency,” Collin Ward-Henninger wrote. “It looks like Josh Giddey will be back eventually, which means he’ll once again share backcourt duties with Coby White — oh yeah, and Nikola Vucevic is still on the team! Mediocrity appears to be the ceiling for this Bulls roster, and the floor is as low as any non-tanking team in the league.”

It’s a brutal indictment of the Bulls right now. They didn’t do much to actually get better in 2025-26, but they also didn’t make moves to set themselves up better for the future. Expiring contracts haven’t been traded, and the one trade they did make resulted in a worse player and no draft picks.

NBA: Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan reacts during a timeout in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

When Giddey re-signs for at least $25 million a year, they will have another sizable contract on the books for a player who might not be able to lead them to a higher ceiling than the play-in game. It’s a tough time to be the Bulls, who are acting as if they don’t quite know what direction to go in. They have more decisions to make, but they seemed to ignore most of them this offseason.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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