The Chicago Bulls have their official training camp roster locked in, and the buzz around the United Center is impossible to ignore. The group mixes real promise with real questions — exactly the kind of thing that keeps fans checking for updates all week and the upcoming season a real guessing game. Camp opens Tuesday at the Advocate Center under first-time full-season head coach Tiago Splitter, and the 21-man group signals a hard pivot toward youth, with just enough veteran presence to keep it from tipping over.
Bulls Training Camp Roster: Standard Deals, Two-Ways and Camp Invites
The Bulls training camp roster breaks down into 14 standard-contract players, two two-way signings, and five guys fighting for scraps on camp deals. The headliners are No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson, the bouncy North Carolina forward who turned heads all summer, and Matas Buzelis, now entering his third season and the presumptive starter at power forward. Josh Giddey runs the offense, Norman Powell adds instant scoring off his first All-Star season in Miami, and Nic Claxton — acquired in an offseason trade — anchors the middle. Rob Dillingham, Dailyn Swain, Noa Essengue and Leonard Miller round out the young depth, while Patrick Williams and Isaac Okoro provide continuity. The five camp invites — Brandon Boston Jr., Peter Suder, Drew Peterson, Marquel Sutton and Orlando Robinson — will scrap for whatever’s left on the depth chart or a two-way spot. Full list is up on the Bulls’ site. Splitter’s staff has real work ahead of the Oct. 7 preseason opener against Phoenix.
Camp Battles Worth Watching
With the Bulls training camp roster set, keep an eye on the wing rotation and the frontcourt logjam. Buzelis has talked about adding strength and polishing his mid-range game, and now he has to prove it in real competition. Wilson’s athleticism isn’t in question, but fitting him into an already crowded forward group will test Splitter early. On the fringes, Suder and Sutton could be sleepers worth a longer look. Preseason — home dates against Phoenix and Memphis before road tests — will sort plenty of this out before the Oct. 21 opener in Toronto.
Why This Roster Reset Feels Different
This isn’t just another September training camp roster reshuffle. New front-office boss Bryson Graham has stamped his vision on the roster after a busy offseason, and pairing Giddey’s playmaking with Powell’s shot-making and the length of Wilson and Buzelis creates some genuinely interesting lineups. Claxton’s mobility should help a defense that badly needed it last year. Still, nothing is settled — can the young wings handle NBA physicality out of the gate? Splitter, who spent last season steering Portland to a surprise playoff berth as an interim hire, called the group’s mentality “business” in the team’s roster announcement. For fans who’ve sat through years of half-measures, this finally looks like a build meant to last.
Chicago has cycled through resets before, but this training camp roster carries different weight: younger talent, a fresh coaching voice, and a front office actually committed to development over quick fixes. Whether it means playoff basketball or more growing pains, the pieces are on the floor — and the competition for minutes alone should be worth watching.
Bulls Camp Roster Locked: Crazy Youth Core Could Flip the East Overnight