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It was recently reported that the Chicago Bulls are interested in restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin.
The report stating Chicago was interested in Mathurin came from Marc Stein's Substack, with the New Orleans Pelicans also reported to be another suitor for the Los Angeles Clippers' RFA.
On various social media platforms, Bulls fans appeared to be close to evenly split on the idea of adding Mathurin to the Bulls.
Many fans lauded the idea of Bulls executive vp of basketball operations Bryson Graham looking to add more talent. Meanwhile, other Bulls fans voiced their concerns over a player who figures to take some shots away from key players on offense.
My feelings on the Mathurin rumors fall somewhere in the middle.
Apr 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis (7) and center Al Horford (20) defend Los Angeles Clippers guardBennedictMathurin(9) as he shoots a basket in the first half during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
At this stage of the Bulls' rebuild, adding talent should be main goal above all else. So with that in mind, Mathurin-to-Chicago makes a ton of sense to me even if it's not the most seamless fit.
Of course, we won't have a concrete idea of what the Bulls rotation could look like until the NBA preseason tips-off for them on Wednesday, October 7, against the Phoenix Suns. But based off of the returning rotation players from last season, the Bulls draft selections and offseason additions, it's possible to envision what a Bulls rotation with Mathurin would look like. The rotation below works off the assumption that Isaac Okoro is a part of a sign-and-trade for Mathurin, and that Rob Dillingham, Dailyn Swain and Noa Essengue start the season on the outside looking in rotation-wise/
Norman Powell (28 MPG)
Josh Giddey (32 MPG)
Matas Buzelis (33 MPG)
Caleb Wilson (33 MPG)
Nic Claxton (25 MPG)
Bennedict Mathurin (26 MPG)
Jalen Smith (20 MPG)
Tre Jones (20 MPG)
Leonard Miller (18 MPG)
Zach Collins (5 MPG)
My projected Bulls nine-man rotation is pretty standard. I expect new Bulls' head coach Tiago Splitter to have the Bulls' attack centered around No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis and playmaker extraordinaire Josh Giddey.
After that, I expect the newly acquired Nic Claxton to hold down the starting five spot, although Jalen Smith would be a more appropriate starter with his 3-poitn shooting ability. Claxton has a rapport with Bulls head coach Splitter that does back to their time together in Brooklyn, when Spliter was an assistant coach.
Jalen Smith, Leonard Miller, Tre Jones and Zach Collins all provide some some defensive utility, on top of enough NBA experience to help guide Wilson in his stints on the floor with them.
I believe Mathurin would come into the Chicago rotation as the clear-cut 6th man. The lowest-scoring season of his career so far was 14.5 PPG in his age-21 season with the Indiana Pacers, and he put up a career-best 17.6 PPG across 54 games played with the Pacers and the Clippers.
The most impressive part of Mathurin's game last season was his propensity for getting to the charity stripe. He collected a career-high 6.2 FTAs per game last year, but he really started to showcase that skill in L.A.
Over the 2025-26 season Mathurin put up 5.2 FTAs per game in 28 games with the Pacers, but raised that figure to a robust 7.3 FTAs per game over 26 games with the Clippers.
Mathurin's inconsistent 3-point shooting--he shot 31.5% from 3-point range last season, 33.6% for his career--makes him far from a perfect fit in Chicago. But with his ability to put up points in a hurry and get to the free throw line, Mathurin would have a clear role on a Bulls squad that finished just outside the top-10 in PPG but 25th in offensive rating.
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The report stating Chicago was interested in Mathurin came from Marc Stein's Substack, with the New Orleans Pelicans also reported to be another suitor for the Los Angeles Clippers' RFA.
On various social media platforms, Bulls fans appeared to be close to evenly split on the idea of adding Mathurin to the Bulls.
Many fans lauded the idea of Bulls executive vp of basketball operations Bryson Graham looking to add more talent. Meanwhile, other Bulls fans voiced their concerns over a player who figures to take some shots away from key players on offense.
My feelings on the Mathurin rumors fall somewhere in the middle.
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Apr 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis (7) and center Al Horford (20) defend Los Angeles Clippers guardBennedictMathurin(9) as he shoots a basket in the first half during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
At this stage of the Bulls' rebuild, adding talent should be main goal above all else. So with that in mind, Mathurin-to-Chicago makes a ton of sense to me even if it's not the most seamless fit.
Of course, we won't have a concrete idea of what the Bulls rotation could look like until the NBA preseason tips-off for them on Wednesday, October 7, against the Phoenix Suns. But based off of the returning rotation players from last season, the Bulls draft selections and offseason additions, it's possible to envision what a Bulls rotation with Mathurin would look like. The rotation below works off the assumption that Isaac Okoro is a part of a sign-and-trade for Mathurin, and that Rob Dillingham, Dailyn Swain and Noa Essengue start the season on the outside looking in rotation-wise/
Projected Bulls rotation with Bennedict Mathurin
Norman Powell (28 MPG)
Josh Giddey (32 MPG)
Matas Buzelis (33 MPG)
Caleb Wilson (33 MPG)
Nic Claxton (25 MPG)
Bennedict Mathurin (26 MPG)
Jalen Smith (20 MPG)
Tre Jones (20 MPG)
Leonard Miller (18 MPG)
Zach Collins (5 MPG)
My projected Bulls nine-man rotation is pretty standard. I expect new Bulls' head coach Tiago Splitter to have the Bulls' attack centered around No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis and playmaker extraordinaire Josh Giddey.
After that, I expect the newly acquired Nic Claxton to hold down the starting five spot, although Jalen Smith would be a more appropriate starter with his 3-poitn shooting ability. Claxton has a rapport with Bulls head coach Splitter that does back to their time together in Brooklyn, when Spliter was an assistant coach.
Jalen Smith, Leonard Miller, Tre Jones and Zach Collins all provide some some defensive utility, on top of enough NBA experience to help guide Wilson in his stints on the floor with them.
I believe Mathurin would come into the Chicago rotation as the clear-cut 6th man. The lowest-scoring season of his career so far was 14.5 PPG in his age-21 season with the Indiana Pacers, and he put up a career-best 17.6 PPG across 54 games played with the Pacers and the Clippers.
The most impressive part of Mathurin's game last season was his propensity for getting to the charity stripe. He collected a career-high 6.2 FTAs per game last year, but he really started to showcase that skill in L.A.
Over the 2025-26 season Mathurin put up 5.2 FTAs per game in 28 games with the Pacers, but raised that figure to a robust 7.3 FTAs per game over 26 games with the Clippers.
Mathurin's inconsistent 3-point shooting--he shot 31.5% from 3-point range last season, 33.6% for his career--makes him far from a perfect fit in Chicago. But with his ability to put up points in a hurry and get to the free throw line, Mathurin would have a clear role on a Bulls squad that finished just outside the top-10 in PPG but 25th in offensive rating.
Continue reading...
