In a stunning late-season maneuver that has left even the most die-hard Chicago Bulls observers scratching their heads, the franchise announced the signing of forward Mouhamadou Gueye for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign. The move, revealed shortly before tip-off against the Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital, came with the Bulls already deep into the final week of the regular season.
Gueye was not in uniform for Thursday night’s contest, but he is expected to be available Friday for the back end of a back-to-back against the Orlando Magic. Sunday’s home finale against the Dallas Mavericks will mark his final opportunity to log NBA minutes this year.
The timing could hardly be more unexpected. Just two weeks earlier, Chicago had waived guard Jaden Ivey, whom the team had acquired from the Detroit Pistons at the trade deadline. Ivey’s brief tenure ended amid reported issues with his conduct both behind the scenes and in the public eye, opening a spot on the standard 15-man roster. With only a handful of games left, most assumed the Bulls would simply ride out the season shorthanded.
Adding to the intrigue, the organization is still reeling from the abrupt dismissal of its two top front-office executives, Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, just days ago. The surprise roster addition was presumably engineered by the remaining brass — figures such as Pat Connelly, JJ Polk, and special advisor John Paxson — making the decision even more eyebrow-raising.
Those familiar with the Bulls’ preseason activities, however, may recognize the name. The 6-foot-9 forward was part of Chicago’s extended training-camp roster and saw limited action in two preseason games. He ultimately spent the bulk of the 2025-26 season with the Windy City Bulls, the franchise’s G League affiliate, where he appeared in 47 games, averaging nearly 30 minutes per night. His stat line read 14.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 51.7 percent from the field.
This marked Gueye’s fourth consecutive season in the G League. The former Stony Brook and Pitt standout went undrafted in 2022 and had previously logged just 11 NBA games with the Toronto Raptors in 2023-24, producing largely unremarkable numbers.
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Yet fresh off what may be the finest performance of his professional career, Gueye arrives in Chicago with momentum. On March 21, 2026, he dropped a career-high 40 points on his former team, the Capital City Go Go, converting an astonishing 74.0 percent of his field-goal attempts.
The game encapsulated exactly what Gueye can offer: a long, smooth athlete who can run the floor in transition and finish with crafty adjustments around the rim. He is not the most explosive leaper, but his length and timing make him a disruptive presence.
The one glaring hole in his game remains his inability to stretch the floor. While willing to attempt open jumpers, Gueye has never developed consistent range from beyond the arc. The same limitation shows at the free-throw line, where he has never shot above 65.5 percent in any professional season.
Given that he will appear in, at most, two regular-season games, no one expects Gueye to audition his way into a full-time NBA roster spot for 2026-27. Still, the brief cameo offers him a final platform to showcase enough two-way potential — length, athleticism, rim protection, and scoring touch inside — to perhaps secure a two-way contract next fall.
In a season already defined by upheaval and uncertainty in Chicago, the late addition of Mouhamadou Gueye stands as one more reminder that, even when the games feel like they’re winding down, the Bulls front office still has the capacity to surprise.