Arizona’s Tobe Awaka to sign with Bulls as undrafted free agent

Former Arizona forward Tobe Awaka has agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls as an undrafted free agent, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Awaka is the fourth player from Arizona’s 2026 Final Four squad to land on an NBA roster this cycle, joining draft picks Brayden Burries (No. 10 to the Milwaukee Bucks), Koa Peat (No. 30 to the Phoenix Suns) and Jaden Bradley (No. 50 to the Toronto Raptors).

Awaka averaged 20.8 minutes per game off the bench last season but paced Arizona with 9.1 rebounds per game (the second-most in the conference). He also led all of Division 1 in offensive rebounding percentage, tracking down 20.2% of the offensive rebounds by Arizona when he was on the floor. Awaka also finished second in the nation on the defensive end. 

After spending his first two collegiate seasons at Tennessee under Rick Barnes, Awaka transferred to Tucson ahead of the 2024-25 season. As a junior, despite having never started before, Awaka opened 36 of the Wildcats’ 37 games and burst onto the national stage once Big 12 play began.

He averaged 8.8 points and eight rebounds in conference action, finishing fifth in the league in rebounding and fourth with nine double-doubles.

Then came an unexpected twist entering his senior season.

With Motiejus Krivas returning from foot surgery and Peat arriving as one of the top recruits in the country, Awaka selflessly approached coach Tommy Lloyd with the idea to come off the bench.

The decision paid off and Awaka proved just as successful off the bench for the Wildcats. He recorded eight double-doubles as he anchored Lloyd’s tight eight-player rotation. As a result, the 6-foot-8, 250-pound big man was the unanimous choice for the Big 12 Sixth Man Award.

Awaka was not on draft boards to begin the season but was one of just 73 players invited to the NBA Combine in May, where he saw his stock surge.

Tobe Awaka went so hard in pro-lane drill, he ran into the trainer 😳 pic.twitter.com/U46fu8Tthr

— NBA Future Starts Now (@nbafuturenow) May 12, 2026

At the combine, Awaka opted not to participate in the five-on-five scrimmages but instead impressed with his shooting. He shot 13 of 25 (52%) in the spot-up shooting drill, 9 of 25 (36%) in the 3-point star drill, 16 of 28 (57%) in the side-mid-side drill, 19 of 30 (63%) in the off-the-dribble drill and 7 of 10 (70%) at the foul line.

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