Did This Offseason Give the Bulls a Model for a Matas Buzelis Extension?

Building around young talent means eventually having to pay that young talent, and Matas Buzelis will be first on the to-do list.

Jul 24, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls player Matas Buzelis warms up before throwing out a ceremonial pitch before the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Bulls' front office should put on their Thanksgiving pants early.

With training camp roughly a week away, the new-look organization has A LOT on its plate. After months of reorganizing things behind the scenes, it's time for the Bulls to put things into practice – both on and off the court. The next handful of months will be about establishing a clear course of action for their rebuild and implementing a fresh identity.

Meanwhile, Tiago Splitter will attempt to set a new standard on the court. The Bulls will have to determine which style of play best fits their developing young talent, specifically No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson. As things currently stand, he is this organization's No. 1 priority.

Somewhere relatively high on the never-ending to-do list, however, is determining the future of Matas Buzelis. The Bulls may not have to make an imminent decision on the former lottery pick, but it's going to be in their best interest to determine how he fits sooner rather than later. Most signs point toward him being a fundamental piece next to Wilson, but you never know when a franchise experiences this much change.

Buzelis will officially be eligible for a rookie-year extension after this upcoming season. Bryson Graham could look to take things into the following summer, but this would be at the risk of seeing teams go after the forward in the restricted free-agent market. For what it's worth, this doesn't necessarily feel out of the question when considering how patient Graham appears to be. However, Buzelis has undoubtedly performed like someone who's on the trajectory of deserving an early extension.

With that in mind, it's also been hard to ignore some of the other deals signed this summer. Several versatile wings have inked new contracts, and the Bulls should already be clocking those in anticipation of future talks. Buzelis' camp is almost certainly going to use these signings as a measuring stick, and continued improvement in Year 3 could make it difficult for the Bulls to argue that point.

Will Bulls Spend Big on Matas Buzelis?

Feb 7, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) goes up for a dunk on Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Over the last few weeks, three athletic young wings have come to terms on new paychecks. While the salaries vary, it serves as a good checkpoint for where the market for the position stands.

Amen Thompson with the Houston Rockets earned himself a five-year, $208 million deal. His brother, Ausar Thompson, signed a slightly less lucrative contract with the Detroit Pistons for five years, $155 million.

Before either of them got their pay raise, Peyton Watson also received one of his own in a sign-and-trade between the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers. The 24-year-old will make $88.0 million over the next four seasons.

Those three players have possibly formed the perfect range for Buzelis' next deal. The $88 million might be the floor, particularly when we consider that Watson was pressured to sign that through restricted free agency. An improving Buzelis will undoubtedly warrant more. For reference, Josh Giddey is currently making $25 million a year, and the Bulls are presumably hoping that Buzelis surpasses him in the team's hierarchy.

The $208 million payday feels way too high, but that fits the bill. Amen has been better than Buzelis early in his career, specifically when factoring in his elite defensive talent. He already has an All-Defensive First Team under his belt. And yet, it still shows what NBA teams are willing to pay for a dynamic two-way wing, and Buzelis is definitely up there alongside Amen in terms of pure athletic gifts.

So does this make Ausar's $155 million the Goldilocks deal? It's worth noting that Ausar is also benefiting from an All-Defensive First Team honor at this stage in his career. The Pistons were also the East's No. 1 team in 2025-26, with Ausar showing that he can be a fundamental part of a winning team. Buzelis has not and will not reach that kind of high before the contract discussions start.

Still, it's a similar deal to the one we saw the Hawks' Jalen Johnson sign a couple of years back. It's also relatively close to the deal Keegan Murray got with the Kings (although that has looked pretty darn rough in the aftermath). Again, assuming that Buzelis does trend upward this season, the Bulls might have to prepare themselves for putting this kind of money on the books.

The good news is that they are very well positioned to make that extension work. One has to imagine this has been at least a small part of Graham's thinking while prioritizing flexibility this summer. Building around young talent means you have to be prepared to pay that young talent. And Buzelis is next in line.

Having said all of this, you just never know what can change in a matter of months. Buzelis still has to put together an incredibly strong season for these discussions to be worth it next Summer. Not to mention, he will have to show that he can be a strong fit next to fellow wing Caleb Wilson. While that process unfolds, though, we might as well keep these dollar signs above in mind. They're bound to come up when negotiations start!

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