Barely two months after making a blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant, the Houston Rockets' NBA title hopes took a significant hit with point guard Fred VanVleet expected to miss the 2025-26 season with a torn ACL. While they're far from championship contenders, an injury to Nikola Vucevic would have a similar impact on the Chicago Bulls, given their lack of depth at center.
Executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas spent this offseason peppering his roster with combo forwards. He selected Noa Essengue with the No. 12 pick in the 2025 draft. He traded a guard for a wing in dealing Lonzo Ball to Cleveland for Isaac Okoro.