Noa Essengue News, Rumors, Updates - Chicago Bulls

Team option picked up The Bulls exercised Essengue's team option Tuesday.

Impact This is a formality while the 2025 first-rounder plays out his rookie deal. Essengue is expected to begin the season outside of the rotation but could carve out a role for the rebuilding Bulls at some point later this year.

22 HOURS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Struggles with shot Essengue posted five points (1-6 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 3-4 FT) and two rebounds in 19 minutes during Friday's 104-100 preseason loss to the Grizzlies.

Impact After missing all of last season due to a left shoulder injury, Essengue is healthy, but he's still shaking off some rust. In two preseason games, he's 1-for-10 from the field with minimal peripheral production. Essengue appears to be buried on the depth chart, with the Bulls selecting Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Dailyn Swain at No. 15 in the 2026 NBA Draft.

OCTOBER 10 • ROTOWIRE

Noa Essengue is already accomplishing exactly what the Bulls need in training camp The Chicago Bulls, above all else, need to work on identifying and developing the young talent they have on the roster in 2026-27. Sure, the...

OCTOBER 2 • PIPPENAINTEASY.COM

Bulls Training Camp Day 2: Identity Forming, More Issac Okoro? Noa Essengue Praised The vibes at Chicago Bulls training camp remained high on Day 2. New head coach Tiago Splitter continued to sound pleased with the young gro...

SEPTEMBER 30 • SI.COM

Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson says he's going to try to lead, not blend in

A second prominent Caleb could make a splash this season on the sports scene in Chicago

SEPTEMBER 28 • Associated Press

Noa Essengue may quietly hold the key to unlocking the future of the Bulls' rotation The Chicago Bulls, needless to say, haven't seen what they've wanted out of former 12th-overall pick Noa Essengue. Essengue played just a ha...

SEPTEMBER 8 • PIPPENAINTEASY.COM

Patrick Williams may be the biggest winner of Bulls' Noa Essengue predicament The Chicago Bulls, above all else, need to get a concrete idea of what's left to be unlocked on their existing roster in 2026-27. Thankfully...

AUGUST 27 • PIPPENAINTEASY.COM

Ready to roll for second season Essengue enters his second NBA season after spending much of his rookie year recovering from shoulder surgery.

Impact The 6-foot-11 forward remains an intriguing long-term prospect because of his mobility and defensive versatility, and he should have an opportunity to compete for more playing time in 2026-27. However, Essengue will need to make progress offensively before becoming a reliable fantasy contributor.

AUGUST 7 • ROTOWIRE

Noa Essengue's Future Bulls Fit Suddenly in Question After Ugly Summer League Noa Essengue was already fighting an uphill battle coming into this offseason. After sitting out essentially his entire rookie campaign, the...

JULY 26 • SI.COM

Ruled out Friday Essengue (thumb) won't play in Friday's Summer League game against the Cavaliers, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Networkreports.

Impact Essengue will be held out of Friday's Summer League finale due to right thumb soreness. However, he should be ready to go when training camp begins.

JULY 17 • ROTOWIRE

Noa Essengue's Vegas struggles could change his Bulls plans for summer 2027 Second-year Bulls forward Noa Essengue's summer league struggles may weigh heavily on front office decisions on his long-term franchise fit.

JULY 16 • PIPPENAINTEASY.COM

Starting Friday Essengue (shoulder) will start Friday's Summer League game against Memphis.

Impact Essengue underwent left shoulder surgery in December and had his rookie season cut short, but he will return to action in the Bulls' Las Vegas Summer League opener. He'll be joined in the first unit by Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain, Jaylin Sellers and Tobe Awaka.

JULY 10 • ROTOWIRE

Bulls fans should have real concern after Noa Essengue's blunt injury admission Essengue’s recent comments raised new questions about his recovery and fit with the Bulls’ revamped roster.

JULY 7 • PIPPENAINTEASY.COM

Planning to play in Vegas Essengue (shoulder) said Monday's he's planning to play in the Vegas Summer League, Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic reports.

Impact Essengue said it remains to be seen how many games he will appear in, noting that his shoulder is "about 98 percent." He added that he's still working on some range-of-motion stuff following his surgery. Essengue appears to be buried on the depth chart with the Bulls selecting Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Dailyn Swain at No. 15 during the 2026 NBA Draft.

JULY 6 • ROTOWIRE

Falling further down depth chart Essengue (shoulder) appears to be buried on the depth chart in the frontcourt after the Bulls chose Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain in Tuesday's draft.

Impact Essengue's rookie campaign was ruined due to shoulder surgery in December of 2025, limiting him to just two appearances at the NBA level. However, the 2025 first-rounder averaged 23.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 three-pointers, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals in 30.8 minutes per game over four appearances for the Windy City Bulls, so Essengue stands out as a prime candidate to begin the 2026-27 season in the G League due to all of Chicago's frontcourt additions.

JUNE 24 • ROTOWIRE

Bulls hope for more UNC magic with Wilson. Bucks begin post-Giannis era by taking Burries and Ament

The Chicago Bulls tried to strike gold in North Carolina again and the Milwaukee Bucks started their post-Giannis Antetokounmpo era in the first round of the NBA draft on Tuesday

JUNE 24 • Associated Press

If at first you don't succeed, do over Noa Essengue's rookie Bulls season Noa Essengue's rookie Chicago Bulls season was effectively a false start. What should he focus on to get out of the blocks of his 2026-27 Bu...

JUNE 8 • PIPPENAINTEASY.COM

Noa X Noah, Caleb Wilson At the NBA Finals, Sky 5-Game Skid, and Other Bulls Bullets Chicago Bulls first round pick Noa Essengue revealed new information on his injury. Also, the Sky are on a 5-game losing streak, and more!

JUNE 3 • BLEACHERNATION.COM

Bulls have an obvious Noa Essengue mandate as rebuilding efforts become clearer The Chicago Bulls will need to finally choose a direction this offseason. With the hiring of new executive Bryson Graham, it seems as though...

MAY 8 • PIPPENAINTEASY.COM

Chicago's Surprise 7-Footer, Bob Meyers Not Interested? LeBron Reminisces, and Other Bulls Bullets Chicago Bulls rookie Noa Essengue has grown a couple of inches, and is almost a 7-footer. Also, Bob Myers was called about the Bulls job, &...

MAY 6 • BLEACHERNATION.COM

Off Season Begins! Billy Sets a Date? Noa Reflects, Sky Moves, and Other Bulls Bullets The Chicago Bulls close out their season in Dallas with an L as Noa Essengue reflects on his 1st year and Billy Donovan looks ahead to what’...

APRIL 13 • BLEACHERNATION.COM

Chicago Bulls rookie provides positive update about injury recovery | Sporting News After having his rookie season cut short due to a shoulder injury, Noa Essengue has been making some serious headway to return to the court.

APRIL 1 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

Noa Essengue emerges as featured piece in Bulls' young core ahead of deadline Despite a season-ending injury, Noa Essengue remains a key part of the Bulls’ young core, shaping Chicago’s frontcourt and long-term future.

FEBRUARY 3 • PIPPENAINTEASY.COM

Bulls Granted Disabled Player Exception After Noa Essengue Surgery Chicago Bulls rookie forward Noa Essengue is out for the year. The team has earned a $2.7 million Disabled Player Exception to potentially a...

DECEMBER 16, 2025 • BLEACHERNATION.COM

Bulls' 2025 first-round gamble quietly scrutinized in NBA Re-Draft Chicago Bulls' first-rounder Noa Essengue fell from 12th to 22nd in Bleacher Report's NBA Re-Draft.

DECEMBER 10, 2025 • PIPPENAINTEASY.COM

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Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson says he's going to try to lead, not blend in

Bulls hope for more UNC magic with Wilson. Bucks begin post-Giannis era by taking Burries and Ament