A new era has begun for the Chicago Bulls, and with the 2026 NBA Draft less than a week away, they have some important decisions to make. 2025-26 was yet another disappointing season for Chicago, but it has seen some major shakeups within the organization.
In May, Chicago hired Bryson Graham as its new executive vice president of basketball operations. Graham admitted the Bulls are in a “developmental stage,” and that it will take some good drafting to help them move forward into playoff contention.
On June 16, Chicago hired Tiago Splitter as its new head coach. Splitter spent one season as the Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach and led the team to a 42-40 record while clinching the playoffs as the No. 7 seed.
Splitter was hired for his player development skills, which will play a huge role in aiding this already young Bulls team as well as the four potential rookies coming in.
If the Bulls play their cards right, they can walk out of this draft as big winners. Here are some things they will need to do to make that happen.
Don’t overthink pick No. 4
The Bulls got blessed in the draft lottery when they jumped into the No. 4 pick position with just a 20% chance to do so. Their history with the fourth overall pick isn’t great, but this draft class has been considered a four-player draft for almost a year now.
Forwards AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson and guard Darryn Peterson all headline the top four. The Bulls have the easiest job with just drafting whoever is left out of the four. All of these prospects have shown star potential and will seamlessly fit into the Bulls starting lineup.
Most mock drafts have Wilson being available at pick four, and his defensive and athletic upside is exactly what Chicago is looking for. Graham said that he is looking for players who have “SLAP,” meaning Size, Length, Athleticism and Physicality.
Wilson checks all these boxes. His 6-foot-10 frame and 7-foot wingspan coupled with elite athleticism make him one of the most intriguing defensive prospects in this class. His 3-point shot will need work, having shot just 25.9% from three last year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Regardless, Chicago should be ecstatic to get him at four.
Explore options for pick No. 15
There has been some speculation that the Bulls could use pick 15 and their large amount of cap space to potentially take on bad contracts to move into the top 10. If they were to do this, they should prioritize getting a guard that could play alongside guard Josh Giddey.
Guard Brayden Burries would be a solid fit as someone who shot 39% from three and has good size and defensive energy from the guard position. Another good option would be guard Mikel Brown Jr. who is a high-volume, deep-range 3-point shooter. His ball-handling and creation could give the Bulls an isolation threat, which is something they lack right now.
With how deep this draft class is, Chicago can still walk away with a great player if it decides to stay at pick 15. Guard Cameron Carr’s draft stock rose after a great showing at the NBA Draft Combine. In one of the five-on-five scrimmages, he posted 30 points, 7 rebounds and six threes. He’s a player with a high offensive floor who could thrive alongside an elite playmaker like Giddey.
Another route would be to take a defensive oriented prospect like forward Morez Johnson Jr. Johnson’s quickness and raw athleticism for someone his size makes him a very safe pick at this point in the draft. His great rim protection and rebounding would be solid for a Bulls team that lacks physicality in the frontcourt.
Seek out Saunders
Chicago has two second round picks in this draft (38 and 56). Guard Richie Saunders is currently mocked early in the second round, mainly due to the torn ACL he suffered in February. Before the injury, he was having a career year, averaging 18 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals a game while shooting 48.9% from the field and 37.6% from three.
Off-ball movement and shooting will translate well in the NBA as teams are taking more threes than ever, and being able to have floor spacers is crucial in playoff games. At 24 years old, he is on the older side for a rookie, but his basketball IQ and experience will make him NBA ready. There isn’t much to lose for Chicago if they were to take a chance on him in the second round, and if he panned out, he could have a solid impact on the team.
The 2026 NBA Draft is set for June 23-24 in Brooklyn, New York. This is a huge opportunity for Chicago to get its rebuild up and running in the right direction. Now, we just wait to see what they’ll decide.