Bulls Move Off Kam Jones and Open Roster Spot After Dubious Draft Trade

The Chicago Bulls made fans raise an eyebrow on the second night of the NBA Draft.

Sitting pretty with two second-round picks, new lead executive Bryson Graham decided to trade both away. They first moved the No. 56 selection to the Los Angeles Lakers for cash. Then, with their No. 38 pick quickly approaching, the Bulls traded that to the Indiana Pacers.

Considering the rebuilding state of their roster and the touted talent evaluation chops of Graham, trading out of both picks was a true head-scratcher. The front office leader at least went on Chicago airwaves to explain himself afterward, and it's technically true that the Bulls still walked away with a young player that night.

In addition to two second-round pick swaps and cash, the trade for No. 38 also included Kam Jones. A former Marquette standout, he was actually the No. 38 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and appeared in 37 games with the Pacers. On the surface, it felt like Graham might have been more interested in Jones than any of the options still on the board at No. 38.

Fast forward a week, however, and Graham was not committing to Jones being a future part of the roster. Fast forward a couple more days, and he made the decision to let the guard walk. Jones' contract was non-guaranteed, giving the Bulls an opportunity to move off him by the time free agency came around for only a little over $1.0 million.

All things considered, the decision certainly doesn't help the team's optics. The Bulls have long been criticized for selling off their second-rounders, and this officially feels like more of the same despite the drastic change in front office faces.

At the same time, there is still a lot that has to play out before we can fully judge Graham's first offseason. The fact of the matter is that waiving Jones does at least give the Bulls an extra roster spot to play with over the next handful of days in free agency. It's well-documented that the organization has plenty of money to spend, as well as plenty of roster flexibility.

Graham's now has to show why keeping this roster spot open was worth it. The Bulls have 12 guaranteed contracts for 2026-27 on the cap sheet, meaning they have three slots left to fill. Who are they hoping to add from the open market? Better yet, can they manage to use one of these slots to pull off a good old-fashioned salary-dump, earning them some future assets?

At the end of the day, the Bulls are in the thick of a full-blown rebuild, which means the moves can't stop now. Graham needs to keep investing in the future and making this roster his own.

Leonard Miller Sees Opposite Fate

Apr 5, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Leonard Miller (11) reacts during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unlike Kam Jones, the Chicago Bulls' new front office opted to keep Leonard Miller around.

The forward came into the offseason with a similar non-guaranteed deal, but all indications are that the Bulls picked up that team option. It certainly makes sense, as the 22-year-old Miller checks nearly every SLAP box. Not to mention, he finished 2025-26 playing the best basketball of his career.

Finally given an expanded role, Miller only looked better and better. He averaged 11.7 points and 5.8 rebounds a night over his 27 games with the Bulls after coming over from the Timberwolves. Miller even flashed some solid three-point shooting and even better defense.

To be sure, playing time could be hard to come by with so much forward depth on this roster. But Miller proved he deserved an NBA roster spot last season, and the Bulls now have another fun developmental piece on their hands.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X and Facebook for the latest news

Add us as a preferred source on Google