Two players will not jet off to Toronto for the Chicago Bulls' first regular season game.
Tiago Splitter shared on Tuesday that both Dailyn Swain and Jordan Hawkins will remain in Chicago for the season opener. Both are currently dealing with an illness, according to K.C. Johnson. Meanwhile, the head coach added that two-way contract players Tobe Awaka and Jaylin Sellers will be with the team for their road matchup.
As far as Hawkins is concerned, his absence likely will not change any plans for Chicago. The sharpshooter was recently inked to the Bulls' third two-way contract. There was no expectation for him to be part of the early-season rotation
The same can't be said about Swain, however. Drafted No. 15 overall, the guard has been a go-to player for Splitter throughout the preseason. To be sure, there was no guarantee that this would remain the case when the games started to matter, as several vets are bound to see an uptick in minutes. However, Swain does remain one of the Bulls' core pieces and has been given some on-ball opportunities off the bench.
Indeed, with player development a priority this season, it's certainly not out of the question that Splitter planned to throw Swain into the mix on Night 1. Especially against a Raptors team with strong positional size, Swain's sturdy frame and defensive versatility could have come in handy.
So, who will see more action with Swain back at the Advocate Center? If Splitter does plan to go 10 or 11 deep, it's possible this opens the door for some Noa Essengue minutes. He impressed defensively at the end of the preseason and has the kind of length that could be necessary against this specific Raptors team. If more ball-handling is what the Bulls covet, though, perhaps Splitter will be adventurous enough to give Jaylin Sellers a chance to make his NBA debut.
The good news is that we have no reason to believe that Swain's absence should be very long. The Bulls' next game will be on the road in Milwaukee on Friday, so it's certainly not out of the question he takes the trip up I-95 and sees the floor later this week.
Options Picked Up for Essengue, Buzelis
The Chicago Bulls did some housekeeping on Tuesday morning.
With the start of the season on the horizon, Bryson Graham officially exercised the team options on Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue. To be clear, both players were on guaranteed deals coming into 2026-27. These options are for the following season.
For Buzelis, this means he is good to go for his final year before restricted free agency. Considering how well he has played to start his career, however, there is a good chance that he never reaches that point. The Bulls will have a chance to discuss extensions with the forward as soon as next summer. If they fail to reach a deal, he will play 2027-28 on an expiring contract at $7.6 million.
The team option on Essengue will be for his third of four seasons and will pay him just under $6.0 million in 2027-28. There is now one option left remaining for the Bulls to either pick up or decline, and they will have until October 31, 2027 to make that decision.
No one should be surprised by the decision on either player. Even with a new front office, it's seemed pretty evident that they were invested in both former lottery picks. Essengue undoubtedly had a much steeper hill to climb to become a core piece of this puzzle, but he also remains the youngest player on this roster. It simply wouldn't make sense for a rebuilding Bulls team to give up on him at this juncture.
AJ Dybantsa Watch ...
Dodging Caleb Wilson already!? How embarrassing!?
In all seriousness, the NBA is at risk of losing possibly one of the most fun matchups of Week 1. While Bulls-Wizards may not crack the national airwaves, plenty of fans were bound to tune in on League Pass. The home opener at the United Center is expected to mark the first time that Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson gets a chance to face No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa. The two were supposed to meet at Summer League in Las Vegas, only for the Wizards to shut down Dybantsa early.
Alas, Wizards head coach Brian Keefe announced on Tuesday that Dybantsa would miss the team's season-opener on Wednesday. The rookie is said to be day-to-day with an ankle injury he suffered during preseason play. The Wizards will host the Bucks tomorrow before hosting the Raptors on Friday. They will then fly overnight to Chicago, where they will cap off their first back-to-back set of the season against the Bulls.
With three full days before the battle between the Bulls and Wizards, there is certainly a chance that Dybantsa is on the floor. However, the fact that it will be a back-to-back set is important to keep in mind. If Dybantsa is banged up at all, the Wizards will be very careful about putting too much pressure on his body so early in the year.
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