Chicago Bulls Reportedly Pick Up Team Option For Leonard Miller

The Chicago Bulls took another step towards showing us what their Opening Night roster will look like for the 2026-27 season on Saturday. It was reported this weekend that Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham and the organization have agreed to pick up the $2.4 million team option on forward Leonard Miller.

Miller had a breakout season last year. He didn't put up jaw-dropping numbers by any means, but nonetheless impressive numbers for such an inexperienced player. Miller hadn't received consistent playing time over his first two seasons, before getting a healthy 15.8 MPG over 19 games with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2025-26. 

Miller--along with Rob Dillingham and four second round picks--was a part of the trade that sent Ayo Dosunmu to Minnesota. 

The trade was received harshly by Bulls fans, many of which had been rooting for the Chicago-native long before he was a Bulls rookie in 2021. Dosunmu was in the midst of the best floor-spacing season of his career, shooting 45.1% from the 3-point line at the time the Bulls traded him. That feeling many Bulls fans had of "giving up too soon" on Donsumu only lingered as they watched Dillingham struggle in his first real stint as an NBA guard with consistent minutes. Miller's emergence down the stretch helped regain some goodwill--albeit limited--back from the fan base. 

Miller is exactly what you want from a modern NBA power forward size-wise. He stands at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and has a surprising amount of speed and quickness packed into that frame. He has the size and strength to play center for stretches if needed, and brings a true rim-runner mentality to the floor no matter what position he is playing. 

Over 46 games with the Bulls, Miller averaged 7.8 PPG and 3.9 RPG, shooting 32.3% from the 3-point line. While Miller didn't show too much improvement as a floor spacer, his ability to impact games by crashing the glass on both ends, giving great effort defensively, and not being afraid to take open shots, showed up on tape (and in person). 

There was some thought going into this offseason that the Bulls may decline Miller's $2.4 million team option and re-sign him to a long-term deal that simultaneously gave him a raise. That move would've made sense under the previous regime that traded for Miller, but this current move makes much more sense with a new regime--led by Executive VP of Basketball Ops Bryson Graham--in tow. Stephen Mervis is the Bulls new Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations under Graham, and Mervis' role is primarily focused on the salary cap. It's safe to assume that Graham, Mervis and Co. discussed all sides of the Miller situation and decided it would be better to have one more cost-controlled season at $2.4 million, giving them more time for their own up-close evaluation of his fit in Chicago long-term.