Can Chicago Bulls trade up from No. 15? A big swing unlikely — but they could snag a sliding player.
The No. 4 pick is drawing all the buzz in Chicago this week.
But for a young Bulls front office, the No. 15 pick could create the biggest stir — especially if new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham tries to trade up for something better.
The Bulls are widely expected to use the No. 4 pick Tuesday night on whichever of the consensus top-four prospects remains on the board: most likely North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson with an outside chance it is Kansas guard Darryn Peterson or Duke forward Cameron Boozer.
The Bulls also hosted at least 20 players for workouts over the last three weeks, a list that included guards Keaton Wagler of Illinois, Kingston Flemings of Houston and Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas. None of those players is expected to be available at No. 15 — and that means the front office might have its sights set higher.
Graham has emphasized the importance of patience and thoroughness as the Bulls dig into a yearslong rebuild under a new regime. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t be aggressive during this transitional period, especially when working with a deep and talented draft class and a wealth of assets.
Could that mean trading up from No. 15 on Tuesday? The answer comes down to the price — and who’s available.
There are two versions of this scenario. The first is a big swing — a predraft trade to move up for a second top-10 pick.
The Bulls do have the draft capital to make such a move work — the No. 15 pick, a pair of second-rounders and future picks — but they don’t have a wealth of desirable and movable players such as Tre Jones who could round out a fair deal. That makes a move into the top 10 both difficult and unlikely, although the market could open in the final hours before the draft.
The Bulls also could bide their time and look to snag a sliding player by moving up only a few spots during the draft. That would require a smaller amount of risk. If the Bulls have targeted a premium target, there’s a high likelihood they would miss out on that player if they don’t move up before the draft. But if they’re interested in a bubble top-10 player such as Tennessee forward Nate Ament or Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr., they could save some assets with a savvy mid-draft trade.
For Illinois fans in Chicago, any trade talk raises an immediate follow-up question: Is it possible to make Wagler a Bull?
The unheralded high school recruit from Kansas blossomed as an Illini freshman into a top draft prospect. A 6-foot-5 guard with sharp court vision and a pure jump shot, Wagler would be a logical scoring complement to Matas Buzelis and (presumably) Wilson, who would play their best with improved shooting and playmaking around them.
Wagler, though, is projected to come off the board as high as No. 5, and as mentioned, the Bulls probably don’t have the roster strength to pull off moving up 10 spots.
If the Bulls stay put, they still would have plenty of potential investment pieces available at No. 15. Michigan big man Morez Johnson Jr. and Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. are intriguing options.
Ultimately, the Bulls should have a variety of strong — and, after the extensive workouts, familiar — options available with their second first-round selection. Whom they pick, and where, will set a tone for how aggressively Graham plans to operate during this rebuild.