By R.L. Bynum
Caleb Wilson spent the Chicago Bulls’ media day making it clear he doesn’t plan to ease into his rookie season.
Asked about his approach entering a Bulls locker room that includes 23-year-old forward Matas Buzelis and veteran point guard Josh Giddey, Wilson didn’t hedge.
“In my opinion, there’s no leadership while blending in, so I’m definitely not going to try to blend in,” said Wilson, the No. 4 overall pick in the NBA draft, Monday at the Bulls’ media day. “I am going to go in there and try to lead by example. I feel like, as a rookie, people respect actions more than respect voice or words.”
Wilson has the most fanfare of the 14 Tar Heels at NBA camps that opened this week.
Wilson only played 24 games at UNC last season before a left-hand injury, then a right-thumb injury ended it early, but he made them count, averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds (57.8% shooting) on his way to All-American Second Team honors and a spot on the ACC All-Rookie team.
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He carried that into Summer League, scoring a record 35 points in his professional debut and finishing with a 2026 NBA All-Summer League First Team selection.
“I’ve learned that Chicago really cares about their athletes and cares about winning,” Wilson said. “I can really play for that.”
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham said the challenge now is matching the expectations that come with a No. 4 pick to a rebuilding roster still finding its shape.
“The expectations are probably pretty high because Caleb is pretty outspoken,” Graham said. “But, internally, we know that it’s a season of growth and development. We have to be OK with giving him grace throughout this year, because he’s going to have some ups and downs. It’s exciting because Caleb has all the potential in the world and we just, kind of like, have to water that seed correctly.”
A lot has impressed Graham since Wilson arrived in Chicago.
“If I’m at the office late till 7:30 and I hear music and a ball bouncing, I’d almost bet everything I have it’s going to be Caleb Wilson when I look out the window,” he said.
Wilson isn’t the only Tar Heel changing addresses this fall, and not every move comes with good news. Fellow rookie Henri Veesaar, who broke out in his lone season at UNC (17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 60.8% shooting) before Atlanta traded up to take him with the 52nd pick, tore his right ACL during a Sept. 15 workout.
The Hawks announced the injury a week later and said Veesaar, who is expected to undergo surgery in October, will likely miss the entire 2026–27 season. It’s a sadly familiar scenario for Veesaar, who missed the 2023–24 season at Arizona with an elbow injury before his transfer to Chapel Hill.
After six-plus seasons in Chicago, Coby White landed in Charlotte at February’s trade deadline and quickly made himself indispensable, hitting a turnaround 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds left to force overtime in a play-in win over Miami.
“It’s a blessing to be in this moment,” White said. “If you told me two years ago that this is where I’d be, I wouldn’t have believed it. I’m excited for the opportunity that I have.”
The Hornets moved fast to lock him up, signing him to a three-year, $74 million deal within hours of trading LaMelo Ball to Minnesota, a move that hands the Goldsboro native the starting point guard job.
“He’s a tremendous culture fit from the Carolinas,” Hornets president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson said.
Cameron Johnson enters his second season in Denver after a trade that sent Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn in the deal that brought him west.
His future in Denver became a major offseason question, with the Nuggets exploring trade possibilities, but Denver ultimately kept him and instead sent Peyton Watson to Cleveland in a five-team sign-and-trade deal.
One report said the Nuggets received at least one legitimate offer for Johnson but viewed the 30-year-old wing as an impactful starter and declined to include draft compensation to facilitate a deal.
Harrison Barnes remains the steadiest presence among the group of Tar Heels. The Spurs forward enters his 15th NBA season. RJ Davis is fighting for a spot in the same San Antonio training camp on an unguaranteed deal after a rookie season split between the G League and a two-way tryout. Read more about their challenges here.
Day’Ron Sharpe and Drake Powell are both back with Brooklyn.
Sharpe has a significantly different outlook from a year ago. After spending his first five NBA seasons behind Nic Claxton, Sharpe enters camp positioned to compete for the starting center job following Claxton’s offseason trade to Chicago.
Sharpe signed a two-year, $20 million contract with Brooklyn in July after the Nets declined his team option and reworked his deal. He is coming off the best statistical season of his career, averaging 8.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in 62 games while shooting 60.1% from the field.
The opportunity comes after he suffered a season-ending ulnar collateral ligament tear in his left thumb in March that required surgery.
John Schuhman of NBA.com called Sharpe Brooklyn’s breakout candidate entering the season, noting that he has consistently produced strong numbers on a per-36-minute basis but has spent most of his career playing against second units. With Claxton gone, Sharpe now has a chance to show whether he can be effective with a much larger role, expected to start ahead of Moritz Wagner.
Powell is entering his second NBA season after being selected by Brooklyn in the first round of the 2025 draft. He averaged 6.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 63 games as a rookie.
Brooklyn also has a crowded group of young players competing for playing time, which allowed Powell to establish a larger role during camp and the preseason. He enters camp penciled in as the back-up two guard behind Egor Demin.
Walker Kessler’s move is the biggest financially. The Los Angeles Lakers sent two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round swaps to Utah for Kessler last summer, then signed him to a four-year, $130 million contract, positioning him as the starting center next to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
The trade comes after a torn labrum in his left shoulder limited Kessler to five games last season before having season-ending surgery.
“It’s great,” Kessler said of the shoulder during his first Lakers media availability. “Feels better than it’s ever felt in my life. It’s been cleared. Feels strong, feels mobile. Yeah, feels great.”
Lakers president Rob Pelinka backed that up recently, telling reporters the team did “such a deep dive” into Kessler’s medical history that it came away with “ultra confidence” that the surgery was a one-time fix rather than a recurring issue.
Caleb Love signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on July 5. Love spent last season on a two-way deal with Portland, averaging 10.4 points, 2.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 49 games. He also averaged 24.7 points in 10 games with Portland’s G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix.
Love, who played three seasons at UNC before finishing his college career at Arizona, will be trying to turn his second NBA two-way opportunity into a more permanent role in Philadelphia.
Cormac Ryan also enters the season on a two-way contract, remaining with the Milwaukee Bucks after signing his deal in February. Ryan had been putting up big numbers for the Wisconsin Herd before Milwaukee called him up, averaging 20.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 29 G League games while shooting 42.3% from 3-point range.
Ryan’s path to Milwaukee has included stops with the Oklahoma City Blue and Wisconsin Herd after he finished his college career at UNC in 2024. He also spent the 2025 preseason with the Bucks on an Exhibit 10 contract before earning his two-way deal.
Pete Nance originally signed a two-way contract with the Bucks in February 2025, but Milwaukee converted him to a two-year standard NBA contract in March after he had established himself as a regular contributor.
Nance appeared in a career-high 37 games last season and averaged 4.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.1 minutes. The Bucks waived him July 3, but NBA transaction records show Milwaukee signed him to another contract five days later, on July 8.
Leaky Black signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Sacramento after Washington waived him in July, a contract that typically points toward the G League unless he wins one of the Kings’ two-way spots.
Harrison Ingram enters Utah Jazz training camp trying to secure a spot on the team after spending his first two NBA seasons on a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio withdrew his qualifying offer in July, making Ingram an unrestricted free agent, and he signed a one-year, $2.45 million Exhibit 10 training-camp contract with Utah in July
He appeared in only 12 NBA games over his first two seasons but was much more productive in the G League, averaging 16.8 points, 12.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists for Austin in 2025-26. Utah already has a full 15-player roster and three two-way players, so Ingram’s faces a fight to earn an NBA roster spot.
Tony Bradley, who won a national title at UNC in 2017, is a free agent after splitting last season between Indiana and Atlanta. However, the Knicks have reportedly been exploring him for depth behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond.
Harrison Barnes, San Antonio Spurs forward
Age 34 | 6–7, 225 | 15th season | $8 million salary | UNC 2010–12 (2 seasons)
Roster situation — Reserve forward
Final statistics last season — 77 games, 9.9 points, 45.6 FG%, 38.8 3P%, 82.9 FT%, 2.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists
Team record last season: 62–20, 2nd in Western Conference
Preseason opener — 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, vs. Atlanta
Season opener — 9:30 Tuesday, Oct. 20, vs. Oklahoma City, NBC/Peacock
Leaky Black, Sacramento Kings guard
Age 27 | 6–6, 209 | 4th season | $2.45 million salary | UNC 2018–23 (5 seasons)
Roster situation — Fighting for a roster spot; likely to play in G League
Final G League statistics last season (Capital City) — 38 games, 10.3 points, 45.6 FG%, 36.5 3P%, 66.7 FT%, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals
Final NBA statistics last season (Wizards) — 15 games, 7.1 points, 38.8 FG%, 34.5 3FG%, 87.5 FT%, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals
Preseason opener — 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Season opener — 10:30 Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Los Angeles Clippers
Tony Bradley, free agent center
Age 28 | 6–10, 248 | would be eighth pro season | UNC 2016–17 (1 season)
Final statistics last season — 41 games, 4.0 points, 54.7 FG%, 50.0 3P%, 74.4 FT%, 2.8 rebounds
RJ Davis, San Antonio Spurs guard
Age 24 (turns 25 Oct. 21) | 6–0, 182 | second season | $1.35 million salary | UNC 2020–25 (5 seasons)
Roster situation — Fighting for a roster spot; likely to play in G League
G League statistics last season (South Bay) — 49 games, 18.4 points, 46.8 FG%, 42.4 3P%, 86.4 FT%, 3.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists
Team record last season: 62–20, 2nd in Western Conference
Preseason opener — 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, vs. Atlanta
Season opener — 9:30 Tuesday, Oct. 20, vs. Oklahoma City, NBC/Peacock
Harrison Ingram, Utah Jazz forward
Age 23 (turns 25 Oct. 21) | 6–6, 230 | second season | $2.45 million salary | UNC 2023–24 (1 season)
Roster situation — Fighting for a roster spot; likely to play in G League
G League statistics last season (Austin) — 40 games, 16.6 points, 49.2 FG%, 34.0 3P%, 62.6 FT%, 12.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists
NBA statistics last season (Spurs) — 7 games, 1.6 points, 83.3 FG%, 1-1 3P
Team record last season: 62–20, 2nd in Western Conference
Preseason opener — 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at Denver
Season opener — 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, at Phoenix
Cameron Johnson, Denver Nuggets forward
Age 30 | 6–8, 210 | 8th season | $22.5 million salary | UNC 2017–19 (2 seasons)
Roster situation — Starting small forward ahead of DeMar DeRozan
Final statistics last season — 54 games, 12.2 points, 48.0 FG%, 43.0 3P%, 83.9 FT%, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists
Team record last season: 54–28, 3rd in Western Conference
Preseason opener — 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, vs. Utah
Season opener — 9:30 Thursday, Oct. 22, at Oklahoma City, ESPN
Walker Kessler, Los Angeles Lakers center
Age 25 | 7–2, 245 | 5th season | $30.11 million salary | UNC 2020–21 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starting center ahead of Kevon Looney
Final statistics last season (Utah) — 5 games, 14.4 points, 70.3 FG%, 75.0 3P%, 70.0 FT%, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 blocks
Preseason opener — 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, at Sacramento
Season opener — 10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, vs. Golden State, ESPN
Caleb Love, Philadelphia 76ers guard
Age 25 | 6–3, 212 | 2nd season | $678,882 salary | UNC 2020–23 (3 seasons)
Roster situation — Fighting for a roster spot; likely to play in G League
NBA season statistics last season — 49 games (limited to 50 under his two-way contract), 10.4 points, 38.8 FG%, 31.8 3P%, 73.5 FT%, 2.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists
G League statistics last season — 10 games, 24.7 points, 43.3 FG%, 23.5 3P%, 75.8 FT%, 4.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 3.6 turnovers
Preseason opener — 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, vs. New York
Season opener — 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at New York, NBC
Pete Nance, Milwaukee Bucks center
Age 25 | 6–9, 225 | 3rd season | $2.76 million salary | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
Roster situation — Fighting for a roster spot; likely to play in G League
G League statistics last season— 12 games, 19.0 points, 53.7 FG%, 40.3 3P%, 78.9 FT%, 8.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.1 blocks
NBA statistics last season — 47 games, 5.4 points, 51.5 FG%, 42.0 3P%, 36.4 FT%, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist
Team record last season: 32–50, 11th in Eastern Conference
Preseason opener — 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, vs. Minnesota
Season opener — 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Washington
Drake Powell, Brooklyn Nets forward
Age 21 | 6–5, 195 | 2nd season | $3.54 million salary | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Roster situation — Backup 2 guard behind Egor Demin
Final regular-season NBA statistics — 63 games, 6.5 points, 40.2 FG%, 28.0 3FG%, 89.6 FT%, 1.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Final regular-season G League statistics — 5 games, 11.8 points, 44.2 FG%, 36.4 3FG%, 72.7 FT%, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals
Team record last season: 20–62, 13th in Eastern Conference
Preseason opener — 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Charlotte
Season opener — 7:30 Wednesday, Oct. 21, vs. Charlotte
Cormac Ryan, Milwaukee Bucks guard
Age 26 | 6–5, 195 | 2nd season | $680,985 salary | UNC 2024–25 (1 season)
Roster situation — Fighting for a roster spot; likely to play in G League
G League statistics last season — 31 games, 20.9 points, 48.8 FG%, 42.2 3P%, 89.0 FT%, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals
NBA statistics last season — 11 games, 14.3 points, 52.0 FG%, 45.8 3P%, 92.3 FT%, 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steal
Team record last season: 32–50, 11th in Eastern Conference
Preseason opener — 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, vs. Minnesota
Season opener — 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Washington
Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets center
Age 25 | 6–10, 265 | 6th season | $10 million salary | UNC 2020–22 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starting center ahead of Moritz Wagner
Final regular-season NBA statistics — 63 games, 6.5 points, 40.2 FG%, 28.0 3FG%, 89.6 FT%, 1.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Final regular-season G League statistics — 5 games, 11.8 points, 44.2 FG%, 36.4 3FG%, 72.7 FT%, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals
Team record last season: 20–62, 13th in Eastern Conference
Preseason opener — 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Charlotte
Season opener — 7:30 Wednesday, Oct. 21, vs. Charlotte
Henri Veesaar, Atlanta Hawks center
Age 22 | 7–0, 227 | rookie season| 1.35 million salary | UNC 2025–26 (1 season)
Roster situation — Likely out for the season after tearing right ACL on Sept. 15
Statistics last season (UNC) — 31 games, 17.0 points, 60.8 FG%, 42.6 3P%, 61.5 FT%, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 blocks
Coby White, Charlotte Hornets forward
Age 26 | 6–4, 210 | 8th season | $26.81 million salary | UNC 2018–19 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starting point guard ahead of Dennis Schroder
Statistics last season (Bulls, Hornets) — 50 games, 17.4 points, 44.6 FG%, 36.2 3PFG, 81.7 FT%, 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists
Team record: 44–38, 9th in Eastern Conference
Preseason opener — 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, vs. Brooklyn
Season opener — 7:30 Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Brooklyn
Caleb Wilson, Chicago Bulls forward
Age 20 | 6–10, 215 | Rookie season | $10.28 million salary | UNC 2025–26 (1 season)
Roster situation — Starting power forward ahead of Patrick Williams
Statistics last season (UNC) — 24 games, 19.8 points, 57.8 FG%, 25.9 3P%, 71.3 FT%, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.4 blocks
Preseason opener — 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, vs. Phoenix
Season opener — 7:30 Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Toronto
Photo via @chicagobulls
