The Chicago Bulls were able to clear up an uncertainty about their team’s future earlier this month, inking Josh Giddey to a four-year contract and putting an end to his restricted free agency. Giddey was playing at an All-Star level during the second half of last season, and the Bulls will hope he can see similar production across a full year.

With a strong backcourt duo in Giddey and Coby White, alongside young forwards Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue, the Bulls could climb the standings in a weakened Eastern Conference next season. While there’s surely upside, the Bulls are still projected to be a sub-35 win team per the oddsmaker. However, The Athletic’s John Hollinger seems to think they are being undervalued.

Bulls finish last 10 seasons:

Lost in Play-In
Lost in Play-In
Lost in Play-In
Lost in first round
Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
Lost in first round
Missed playoffs

Longest span in franchise history without a playoff series win.

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) September 20, 2025

“I also struggle to see how worst-case scenarios could turn out that badly for these guys,” Hollinger wrote in reference to a project 32.5 win total for the Bulls. “Chicago isn’t good by any means, but it has enough depth that it should survive the regular-season slog in relatively good shape.”

As highlighted by Hollinger, the Bulls went 17-13 in their final 30 games last season, and the roster has arguably improved since then, factoring in progression as well. In addition, the franchise has expressed desires to remain competitive, meaning winning around 32 to 33 games would likely be a result of tanking.

30 teams in 30 days: Chicago Bulls pic.twitter.com/vHbCwuV3T4

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) September 20, 2025

“To achieve that over/under would mean that the Bulls fell out of the Play-In race, even in the lowly East, and fell out by such a margin that they started tanking late in the year, which is a strategy this franchise has never embraced,” Hollinger added.

Looking at the Bulls’ roster for next season, they’ll hope to have improved wing depth after trading Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro, who has flashed a consistent outside shot while also being a solid defender. Additionally, players like Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips can’t be overlooked as breakout rotation players.

Bulls front office/management isn’t play-in material https://t.co/AA6u1bssh2 pic.twitter.com/27OYJbCoBf

— Drew Stevens (@Drew_H_Stevens) September 16, 2025

The biggest question on Chicago’s roster next season will be the center position, especially if the team opts to move off Nikola Vucevic before the trade deadline. If he’s out on the court for Chicago, he should be productive, but putting pressure on Jalen Smith and Zach Collins as your primary centers could be a cause for concern.

The Bulls might have some questions to answer about the future of their roster with expiring contracts in White and Ayo Dosunmu, but it’s hard to imagine they can’t hover around 40 wins in a weakened Eastern Conference.