Are the Chicago Bulls Already in the Market for Another Big Man?

The Chicago Bulls are still two days away from the start of a new era, but the rumor mill waits for no one!

With NBA roster cuts happening across the league on Monday, there are a handful of players expected to hit the open market. Now, have the Bulls felt like a team eager to add another player to the bench? Not necessarily. While they have an open roster spot at their disposal after their latest round of cuts, there is a good chance this new front office values the flexibility that offers them in a rebuilding year.

At the same time, finding young talent is the primary focus for this organization at the moment. If the right player becomes available, why not see if he could make sense with your young nucleus?

It's a fair question, especially in the wake of a report from The Stein Line. Ahead of Monday's roster cuts, Marc Stein reported that the Dallas Mavericks were considering waiving Moussa Cisse due to their ongoing roster crunch. More importantly, Stein named the Bulls as a team that may be willing to claim the "high-energy big man" off waivers.

Alas, how interested Bryson Graham is in Cisse will remain unclear. The Mavericks chose to waive long-time veteran Dwight Powell instead of the 24-year-old big man on Monday afternoon. Cisse, who appeared in 38 games for the Mavericks in 2025-26 and stands six-foot-eleven, will now seemingly round out Dallas' roster.

Still, it's hard not to think twice about Stein's report. Even if Cisse isn't hitting waivers, the fact that the Bulls were among those interested raises an eyebrow heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

Bulls Open to Adding Another Center?

The center position was one of the first areas on the roster that Bryson Graham addressed upon his arrival. Not only did he go out and acquire Nic Claxton from the Brooklyn Nets, but he also re-signed veteran big man Zach Collins to a two-year contract. Add in the return of Jalen Smith, and the Bulls are now positioned to have three capable bigs for 2026-27.

In fact, Tiago Splitter has even discussed playing all three centers in the rotation this season. One reason for that is the Bulls' desired uptempo style of play. They want to have fresh legs on the court at all times. However, the other reason is simply that all three have proven deserving of playing time (when healthy). They each bring something to the floor that could make sense alongside the other pieces on this roster.

This is why it's somewhat surprising to hear the Bulls reportedly had their eye on another option at center. It puts into question their belief in this three-man unit, let alone their intentions for each individual player this year. Might they be more eager to move off someone than meets the eye? If one thing is for sure, none of the three players appear to be the long-term answer at the position, so the Bulls might as well keep their options open.

We also shouldn't ignore the kind of player that Cisse is. Undrafted out of the 2025 class, Cisse represents an intimidating true center who made multiple All-Defensive Teams at the NCAA level. During his rookie year in Dallas, Cisse averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 13.9 minutes per game. Coincidentally, his best game came against the Bulls on April 12, 2026. Cisse scored 17 points and snagged a staggering 20 rebounds – ten on the offensive glass.

Former center turned head coach Tiago Splitter had talked endlessly this preseason about crashing the boards hard and playing a physical brand of basketball. Can the Bulls' current rotation offer some of that? Sure, but no one would deem this the most imposing collection of bigs, much less the most durable.

None of this is to say that the Bulls should expect Bryson Graham to go out and add another option at the five in the coming weeks. Heck, there is a world where the interest in Cisse was even overblown. However, when we consider everything Splitter has talked about and the lack of pure strength on this roster, it's not far-fetched to think a change could be made down the road. Above all else, this Cisse rumor reminds us that the situation in Chicago this season is fluid.

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