Bulls Forward Leonard Miller is Surprising Many — But Not Himself

At the 2026 trade deadline, Leonard Miller was effectively a throw-in in the Ayo Dosunmu deal.

Ex-Chicago Bulls executive Arturas Karnisovas dealt Dosunmu to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for former top 10 draft choice Rob Dillingham, Miller and four second-round picks, clearly trying to get any value out of yet another squandered asset before Dosunmu hit free agency in the summer. Miller — who averaged just 1.9 points per game over three seasons with Minnesota — had never had much of an opportunity at the NBA level, but was still only 22 years old.

Miller is now thriving in Chicago as he looks to prove he's a key part of the team's future. After playing just 179 minutes total with the Timberwolves, Miller played 624 minutes during his 27 games with the Bulls last season, making 12 starts as well. The Scarborough, Ontario, native averaged 11.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 55.5% overall and 35.6% from deep.

Not many people had high expectations for Miller when the Bulls acquired him last February. But through his limited action a season ago and his strong play during the preseason, Miller has stamped himself as a key figure in Chicago's rebuild.

His emergence may come as a surprise to fans and those who followed Miller in Minnesota, but it's not a shock to the young forward.

"If you put a lot of work into your craft and you take advantage of the opportunities that are given, then it's no surprise to the outcomes that come from it," Miller said following practice on Thursday. "I'm just here in the moment and I'm looking to expand on the work that I've been doing and work that the team's been doing."

Through four preseason games, Miller is Chicago's leading scorer despite coming off the bench. After scoring 14 points against the Suns and 12 against the Grizzlies, Miller exploded for a 26-point outing in Denver. He followed that up with 18 points in Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

Perhaps most impressive has been his shooting. Miller — who is a career 31.2% shooter from beyond the arc — has knocked down nine of his 15 three-point attempts this preseason. That includes a 7-of-10 clip over his past two games. Miller said that when the ball reaches his hands, he expects the shot to go in.

Miller seems to have found a home in Chicago. The Canadian attended five different high schools and skipped college to play for the G League Ignite, then split time between Minnesota and the franchise's G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves.

Even though Bryson Graham and the current front office weren't the ones who acquired him, the Bulls seem to want him there. Graham exercised Miller's team option this summer to keep him in Chicago through this season, and the city has been welcoming to Miller as well.

"I love it here," Miller said. "I didn't know what to expect beforehand when I was in Minnesota and coming here because I didn't really spend too much time in Chicago. But being here for a while now and seeing what it is, I've embraced it and I truly love it. I feel like Chicago's one of my favorite cities for sure, and there's so much stuff to do out here. There's so many good fans, and the culture here, I'm loving it. I feel like I have everything here so far."

Asked what his favorite things to do in Chicago are, the 6-foot-10 forward said, "I like to eat." He's become 'a sushi guy' since moving to the Windy City and has several go-to spots in the area. Miller likes to shop, play pickleball on Chicago's outdoor courts and go on walks through the city's various unique neighborhoods.

The former second-round pick has no stress about getting a deal done ahead of his impending free agency and no ill will toward the team that traded him, which he faces for the first time on Friday night. Instead, he's focused on how he can best fit Tiago Splitter's scheme and improve his own game on a daily basis.

Miller, who measures in at a very similar size to Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, has proven to complement the franchise's young cornerstones well so far during the preseason. When one of the two starters leaves the game, Miller fills their place with an aggression and ferocity that have earned him a spot in the Bulls' rotation. Both of those are key traits that Splitter wants from his players entering his first season at the helm.

"All of us fit the mold, and all of us are versatile," Miller said. "All of us can do things on the court that you can't teach with our length or our athleticism because we're all freakishly athletic. So playing along guys like that, that'll be good basketball. And honestly, whoever I'm with on the court, whether it be those guys or, as you've seen in our last game, moreso of those second-unit guys, you're gonna see my versatility. I'm gonna approach it the same way."

Miller still has to prove his play over the back half of last season and the preseason can scale to meaningful minutes. He knows that his blend of size and athleticism can make him "a monster on the court," and the soon-to-be 23-year-old continues to work on his craft to earn his place in the league. But for now, the flashes that Miller has shown this fall are a good start.