Chicago Bulls
2026-27 Cap Sheet • Eastern • Central
Over Cap, Below First Apron
First Apron
Thresholds
The first tax apron ($195,945,000 in 2025-26) restricts teams from using the non-taxpayer MLE, bi-annual exception, sign-and-trades to acquire players, and prior-year TPEs. Teams above the first apron can only take back 100% of outgoing salary in trades.
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Over Cap, Below First Apron
First Apron
Thresholds
The first tax apron ($195,945,000 in 2025-26) restricts teams from using the non-taxpayer MLE, bi-annual exception, sign-and-trades to acquire players, and prior-year TPEs. Teams above the first apron can only take back 100% of outgoing salary in trades.
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Give NOLA A Fresh Start
Viewing a shared scenario. Clone it to make your own edits.
Scenario Trades (1)
↙
Trade with CHI
mirrored
Valid
Sent: Patrick Williams, Zach Collins
Received: Jordan Poole
Picks out: 2029 Rnd 2, 2031 Rnd 2
Team Salary
$170.5M
103.4% of cap
+ $1.4M cap holds
Cap Hold
Fundamentals
A placeholder amount charged against a team's cap for free agents whose rights they hold. Cap holds count toward team salary even though no contract exists. Teams must renounce a player's rights to remove the cap hold, but doing so means losing the ability to re-sign that player using Bird rights.
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$171.9M
Salary Cap
Salary Cap
Fundamentals
The maximum amount a team can spend on player salaries, set annually by the NBA based on Basketball Related Income (BRI). For 2025-26, the salary cap is $154,647,000. Unlike the NFL, the NBA's cap is a "soft cap" — teams can exceed it using various exceptions.
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$165.0M
Cap Space
Cap Space / Cap Room
Fundamentals
The difference between a team's current salary and the salary cap. Teams with cap space can sign free agents or absorb salary in trades without sending matching salary out.
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-$5.5M
w/ holds:
-$6.9M
Tax Line
Luxury Tax Line
Thresholds
The salary threshold above which teams must pay the luxury tax. Set at $187,895,000 for 2025-26. Separate from the salary cap — a team can be over the cap without paying tax.
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$201.0M
Tax Bill
Luxury Tax
Fundamentals
A dollar-for-dollar (or more) penalty paid by teams whose total salary exceeds the luxury tax line. For 2025-26, the tax line is $187,895,000. Tax rates increase with each bracket and are higher for repeat offenders.
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$0
Roster
Roster Limits
Roster
NBA teams can carry up to 15 players on standard contracts plus up to 3 two-way contracts (18 total). The minimum is 14 on opening day and 13 during the season. If a team has fewer than 12 players, an incomplete roster charge is assessed for each missing spot.
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13/15
+2/3
Cap Position
Cap
Tax
1st
2nd
Cap
Salary Cap
Fundamentals
The maximum amount a team can spend on player salaries, set annually by the NBA based on Basketball Related Income (BRI). For 2025-26, the salary cap is $154,647,000. Unlike the NFL, the NBA's cap is a "soft cap" — teams can exceed it using various exceptions.
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$165.0M
Tax
Luxury Tax Line
Thresholds
The salary threshold above which teams must pay the luxury tax. Set at $187,895,000 for 2025-26. Separate from the salary cap — a team can be over the cap without paying tax.
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$201.0M
1st Apron
First Apron
Thresholds
The first tax apron ($195,945,000 in 2025-26) restricts teams from using the non-taxpayer MLE, bi-annual exception, sign-and-trades to acquire players, and prior-year TPEs. Teams above the first apron can only take back 100% of outgoing salary in trades.
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$209.0M
2nd Apron
Second Apron
Thresholds
The second tax apron ($207,824,000 in 2025-26) imposes the strictest restrictions. Teams above it cannot: aggregate salaries in trades, send cash in trades, use any MLE, send players via sign-and-trade, or trade first-round picks 7 years out. Their distant first-round picks are also "frozen."
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$222.0M
Team $171.9M
Cap Hold
Fundamentals
A placeholder amount charged against a team's cap for free agents whose rights they hold. Cap holds count toward team salary even though no contract exists. Teams must renounce a player's rights to remove the cap hold, but doing so means losing the ability to re-sign that player using Bird rights.
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Season
Swipe salaries to change year. Contract totals include remaining option years, not cap holds.
| # | Player | Pos | Age | 26-27 | 27-28 | 28-29 | 29-30 | 30-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Jordan Poole
via NOP
|
SG | 27 | $34.0M | $40.9M | — | — | — |
| 2 |
Josh Giddey
|
PG | 23 | $25.0M | $25.0M | $25.0M | $37.5M | — |
| 3 |
Nicolas Claxton
|
C | 27 | $23.3M | $21.1M | $31.4M | — | — |
| 4 |
Norman Powell
|
SG | 33 | $21.5M | $22.6M TO | $29.3M | — | — |
| 5 |
Isaac Okoro
|
SF | 25 | $11.8M | $22.4M | — | — | — |
| 6 |
Caleb Wilson
|
PF | 20 | $10.7M | $11.2M | $11.8M TO | $14.9M TO | $41.3M |
| 7 |
Jalen Smith
|
C | 26 | $9.4M | $17.9M | — | — | — |
| 8 |
Tre Jones
|
PG | 26 | $8.0M | $8.0M TO | $15.2M | — | — |
| 9 |
Rob Dillingham
|
PG | 21 | $6.9M | $8.8M TO | $26.3M | — | — |
| 10 |
Matas Buzelis
|
SF | 21 | $5.7M | $7.6M TO | $22.8M | — | — |
| 11 |
Noa Essengue
|
PF | 19 | $5.7M | $6.0M | $8.2M TO | $24.7M | — |
| 12 |
Dailyn Swain
|
SG | 21 | $5.0M | $5.2M | $5.5M TO | $8.4M TO | $25.1M |
| 13 |
Leonard Miller
|
SF | 22 | $2.4M | $2.5M | — | — | — |
| 14 | Empty roster spot | $1.4M | $1.4M | $1.4M | $1.4M | $1.4M | ||
| 15 | Empty roster spot | — | — | — | — | — | ||
|
Dead Money
(1 player)
|
||||||||
| — |
Kam Jones
Bought Out
|
— | — | $1.1M | — | — | — | — |
|
Two-Way Contracts
(2 of 3 slots • not counted against the cap or the 15-man roster)
|
||||||||
| — |
Tobe Awaka
Two-Way
|
PF | 22 | $678K | — | — | — | — |
| — |
Jaylin Sellers
Two-Way
|
PG | 23 | $678K | — | — | — | — |
| Total | $170.5M ($171.9M) | $115.4M ($200.5M) | $50.4M ($176.8M) | $23.2M ($86.8M) | $0 ($67.7M) | |||
| Cap Space | -$6.9M | -$19.0M | $22.8M | $132.8M | $173.8M | |||
| 1st Apron Space | $37.1M | $113.1M | $201.1M | $253.6M | $304.6M | |||
| 2nd Apron Space | $50.1M | $127.4M | $216.8M | $270.9M | $323.7M | |||
Legend:
Regular = under contract • Orange
=
Cap Hold
Fundamentals
A placeholder amount charged against a team's cap for free agents whose rights they hold. Cap holds count toward team salary even though no contract exists. Teams must renounce a player's rights to remove the cap hold, but doing so means losing the ability to re-sign that player using Bird rights.
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• Blue
= projected/edited • Struck
= option declined • PO
Player Opt • TO
Team Opt • ETO
Early Term • NG
= non-guaranteed •
Cap projections assume ~10% annual growth