The Chicago Bulls roster for the 2026 NBA Summer League is set.
The Chicago Bulls have officially released their roster for the 2026 NBA Summer League. The summer league is designed to give league officials their first look at their highly-regarded draft picks in an NBA-structured live-game action.
The summer league is also intriguing because it showcases all the undrafted and two-way contract talent trying to make the league in earnest. Players on Exhibit 10 contracts also get a chance to showcase their talents during summer league, making their case to stay with their club's G-League affiliate.
Chicago's roster contains a few returns, the expected top 2026 picks and a slew of undrafted and young free agent names.
The main players will be Bulls No. 4 overall pick and former North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson, and No. 15 overall pick Dailyn Swain out of Texas. Outside of these two, the other familiar name to Bulls fans would be none other than Noa Essengue, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Essengue had his season shut down early by a shoulder injury and will be looking to make a big, and immediate impact in his return to action. The Frenchman--who has grown to 6-foot-11-inches--is still a mere 19 years old and has a lot of development left. Despite this, there could be a bit of pressure for him to produce. Essengue was the 12th overall pick by the previous Bulls regime led by former executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and former general manager Marc Eversley.
The new Bulls front office led by executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham, senior vice president of basketball operations Stephen Mervis, and vice president of player personnel Acie Law, will have their own evaluations of Essengue. Naturally, the new-look front office will be less attached to Essengue since he wasn't their pick.
That doesn't mean that Essengue is on the outside looking in, it simply means he may need to "prove himself" all over again considering this isn't the same group that valued him at No. 12 overall in 2025.
Outside of the big names in Wilson, Swain and Essengue, Chicago has a host of interesting players who made decent names at the NCAA level.
Former Northwestern guard Boo Buie will make an appearance on the Bulls summer league squad, as well as 2021 McDonald's All-American and Tennessee standout Kennedy Chandler. Former Kentucky SG Antonio Reeves will have a great opportunity, as will former Alabama big Charles Bediako and Chicago-native Grant Newell.
The Bulls open their summer league schedule taking on No. 3 overall pick Cam Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies on July 10th at 7pm CT at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV.
