Bulls Lock In Leonard Miller, Cut Kam Jones in Quiet Roster Crunch

The Chicago Bulls have guaranteed Leonard Miller's $2.41 million contract for the 2026-27 season and waived guard Kam Jones, per HoopsHype. The moves represent a clear statement about where the front office sees its forward rotation heading into the offseason and a final trim of depth that didn't stick.

Miller arrived in Chicago via the Ayo Dosunmu trade deadline deal last season and immediately became part of the long-term calculus. His third-year campaign produced career-highs across the board—11.7 points per game chief among them—suggesting he's moved past the uncertain, DNP-prone phase that has haunted many lottery picks. The guarantee is modest in dollar terms but substantial in signal: the team is comfortable betting on his development path rather than testing the waiver wire or keeping him in competitive limbo through training camp.

The Jones waiver is the counterpoint. After arriving as a lottery flier himself, Jones never meaningfully challenged for rotation minutes and is now fully out of the organization. For a Bulls team still building around its core, these roster moves avoid the noise of summer league and training camp auditions and instead commit resources to proven trajectory. Miller's guarantee also means Chicago is confident enough in his fit to avoid the distraction of shopping him or dangling him in trade talks—a luxury that comes only when internal evaluation has settled.

From a betting lens, Miller's elevated role in the Chicago rotation next season becomes a probability assumption rather than a question mark. Teams don't guarantee mid-tier forwards unless they intend meaningful usage. If Miller approaches 20+ minutes per game as a near-daily rotation piece (rather than spot duty), his scoring floor rises materially. His 11.7 PPG average last season came in limited and often mop-up opportunities; guarantee-level commitment typically inflates both volume and consistency. Watch for Miller's opening season props to move from "lottery lottery" (high variance, wide lines) to tighter pricing once training camp proves the team's commitment is real.

Jones's exit also clarifies the Bulls's perimeter depth chart, reducing the number of fringe guards competing for backcourt minutes. This indirectly benefits any rotation guard already in place—fewer mouths to feed at the position, higher per-game availability rates. The practical effect is modest on individual prop markets today, but the directional signal is clear: Chicago is consolidating its bets rather than hedging them.