NEW YORK — Given the makeup of this group of Bulls players, coach Billy Donovan didn’t think he necessarily had to ask for a team-first mentality heading into this season.
But up to $84 million in salary coming off the books in 2026 for six players in a possible walk year isn’t exactly something to be ignored. Those who might be leaving would naturally want to raise their profiles for the next chapter.
So Donovan had the talk anyway.
“Right when training camp started, I ad-dres-sed of all this, because we have seven or eight guys that are in the same situation, and I think it’s very easy if you’re not in the rotation or you’re not playing well to start to press, start to think about yourself,” Donovan said. “There’s a level of unselfishness [we needed] where you can start thinking about others — other than yourself, certainly — when your situation is uncertain going forward.”
Center Nikola Vucevic, guard/forward Kevin Huerter and guards Ayo Dosunmu and Jevon Carter, all free agents-to-be, have embraced this approach for the Bulls (5-1). Guard Coby White, who hasn’t yet played a game this season as he deals with a strained calf, says his pending free agency isn’t a priority. So has big man Zach Collins, who’s recovering from wrist surgery.
Even forwards Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips, each in the final season of guaranteed money on his rookie contract, have been playing their roles without making waves.
While that may seem like a minor accomplishment, it’s not. Just ask point guard Josh Giddey, who went through last season under a cloud of uncertainty as he headed toward the end of his rookie contract and restricted free agency. Starting off the year poorly wore on him, he said. But once he was able to stop overthinking, and with the Bulls asking more of him after star Zach LaVine was traded in February — he played freely and thrived.
Now he’s on the other side of it, having received a four-year, $100 million extension in September. And he believes it’s impossible to tell the difference between his teammates who are on long-term deals and those playing toward their next payday.
“If someone was ever in the crowd and could point out the guys that are free agents at the end of the year by how they’re playing, that would be a problem,” Giddey said. “I think the fact that we don’t have that is a great thing. [We have] unselfish guys, every-one focused on the same thing of winning games, and everything else comes as a byproduct of that. You win [and] winners get paid.
“As a player, you’d be lying if you weren’t thinking about yourself at times, so 100% [it’s impressive]. Every guy on a rookie deal coming into free agency, it’s not the first thing on your mind, but everyone thinks about it. I just love that we have such an unselfish group and have bought in.”
That’s the case in November, when the Bulls are playing winning basketball. But what happens if there’s a slide and the February trade deadline is approaching? What if a player is losing minutes and playing time by March?
There’s a fine line between team-first and the business of basketball.
“Like I told those guys, [free agency] will get here in July,” Donovan said. “Why worry or think about that when you have things in front of you now? We don’t have a team that can [isolate] or guys just go get theirs. We’ve got to rely on each other. To be able to do that, everyone has to be tied together and linked together, because the success of all those guys individually requires each other. And that’s kind of been the message to everyone.”
