The Chicago Bulls entered NBA (National Basketball League) Draft night with four selections and the hope that the beleaguered franchise would end the night with a bright future. The Bulls made two first-round selections, traded a second-round pick, and selected a player in the second round before trading him to the Pacers. Below are the grades for all the moves made during the draft.
With just a 20.3% chance to move into the top four of the draft, the Bulls defied the odds, winning the fourth pick of the draft and drafting UNC forward Caleb Wilson. In his lone season with UNC, the 6-foot-9, 19-year-old Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 57.8% from the field. While often referred to as the most explosive player in the draft, he averaged 2.0 turnovers per game and was not a threat shooting three-point shots.
Looking at the Bulls’ starting lineup for the 2026-27 season, Wilson will fit right into one of the forward positions. With his body type and play style, he joins a new front office and head coach who preach the SLAP philosophy: size, length, athleticism, and physicality. If Wilson continues to hone his shooting, he will thrive in the Bulls system and produce some exciting highlight reel plays.
Grade: A
In an especially talented and deep draft, the Bulls were fortunate to acquire the 15th pick after the Portland Trail Blazers reached the playoffs. With that pick, the Bulls drafted Texas forward Dailyn Swain. During his final season, 6-foot-7, 20-year-old averaged 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. While shooting a terrific 54.2% from the field inside the arc, his perimeter shooting will be an area for development.
While not projected to be a starter next season with the Bulls, Swain should see the court often as a premium rotational player at shooting guard. Much like the earlier pick Wilson, Swain epitomizes the SLAP principles preached by the new Bulls regime. Even though Swain will be an often-used rotational player for the Bulls, most draft boards considered this pick a reach, as he was projected to go between picks 17 and 25 in the first round. His status as a reach was due to poor outside shooting and defensive inconsistencies.
Grade: B
Before the second round began, the Bulls traded the 56th pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for cash considerations. This left the team with the 38th pick in the second round and several impactful prospects still on the board. The Bulls selected Braden Smith, G, Purdue, and immediately traded his rights to the Indiana Pacers for guard Kam Jones, future second-round pick swaps, and cash considerations.
During his rookie season, Jones averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 rebounds per game. Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham explained that the team made these moves because there were no prospects still on the board that they were targeting in the draft. While accumulating draft capital is generally seen as a positive, there was plenty of good shooting talent still available in the draft that could have been worth a flyer for the Bulls.
Grade: C
The Bulls lucked into landing a top prospect like Wilson and should be celebrated for sticking to their philosophy with the Swain pick. Both players are expected to be major contributors and should fight for plenty of playing time on this young roster. Punting on the second round picks for a below-average player, second round pick swaps, and cash considerations may turn out to be the right move, but there was proven talent still on the board that could have helped the Bulls. While the Bulls definitely improved as a team with their picks, they did not dominate the draft.
Overall Grade: B
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