League sources inform Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic that the Bulls have activated their rookie-scale team option on wing Dalen Terry for the 2025–2026 season.

Chicago was given until October 31st to decide if it would accept the offer. Terry, who has a contract in place for 2024–2025, will now get a guaranteed salary of $5,399,118 in 2025–2026—the fourth and last season of his rookie contract.

Terry, the 18th selection in the 2022 NBA Draft, averaged just 5.6 points per game in his 38 games as a rookie with the Bulls two seasons ago. However, he saw more playing time in his second season, finishing 59 games in 2023–24 with an average of 3.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.4 APG (11.5 MPG).

Terry was considered a point guard going into the draft after spending two seasons of college ball at Arizona, but because the Bulls already had ball handlers on their roster, he has primarily played on the wing in his professional career. He is large enough to defend several positions at six feet.

Important Issues with the Bulls’ Starting Lineup.

Right now, the Chicago Bulls don’t have a distinct identity. They’re not poor enough to be in complete rebuild mode, but they’re also not strong enough to give opponents cause for fear. Even while they have a few good players, it’s not clear how well they mesh, especially when it comes to the anticipated starting lineup.

Key Concerns in the Bulls’ Starting Lineup Projected Starting Five:
The probable starting lineup for the first game of the season, barring any trades or injuries before it begins, is as follows:

Giddey Josh

Coby White

Zachary LaVine

William Patrick

Vucevic Nikola

Giddey and White will be the starting backcourt going forward. The Bulls are hoping that White can improve in a larger role after acquiring Giddey in a recent trade. To increase their trade worth, LaVine and Vucevic must start playing; LaVine needs to show that he is healthy, while Vucevic needs to prove that he can score.

It would be difficult to sit Patrick Williams after awarding him an illogical $90 million contract, but it wouldn’t be shocking if it occurred during the season. Beyond fit, there are other considerations at play here as well because different combinations might provide a better balance. However, given that this club is probably going to have defensive difficulties, there are important problems to solve. With this lineup, the Chicago Bulls might have one of the worst defenses in NBA history.

LaVine has always struggled on defense, and his mobility might be affected by recent surgery. White lacks size, Giddey’s performance was weak enough to get him benched in the playoffs, and Vucevic has difficulty defending both the rim and in open space, meaning four out of five starters are subpar defensively. Even Williams is overrated on defense, and the Kawhi Leonard comparisons were exaggerated, leaving significant weaknesses in the lineup.

Adding Ayo Dosunmu or Lonzo Ball could bolster the defense, but deciding who to bench is tricky. It’s hard to justify sitting a player making over $40 million or a newly acquired player seen as the future point guard. The Bulls will need to rely on high scoring with this lineup, as they’re likely to concede plenty of points.

Who Runs the Offense?

The plan since acquiring Giddey has been for him to lead the offense. However, this raises concerns about how it will work when both LaVine and White need the ball to thrive. Their similar playing styles have led to poor results for the Bulls, including a -3.2 net rating over 697 minutes last season. Additionally, White had a standout season after LaVine was sidelined by a season-ending injury.

Vucevic might also require his touches, so things could become messy. Because of the shooting potential, it’s a good problem to have on the one hand. The club could be difficult to stop offensively if they play with selflessness. However, Giddey might be forced to play off the ball, like he was in Oklahoma City, where that tactic wasn’t very successful. Furthermore, this problem might go away on its own if a LaVine deal occurs, but for the time being it will be difficult to manage touches and shot distribution with three players in the starting lineup who are ball dominant.