Lucky bounce: Bulls move up to No. 4 pick at NBA Draft Lottery

The lottery balls repeated a familiar pattern for the Bulls on Sunday at the NBA Draft Lottery.

The last time the Bulls hired a new head of basketball operations in 2020, they landed the No. 4 pick of the draft. Arturas Karnisovas set the tone for a disappointing tenure by using that selection on Patrick Williams.

Now with Bryson Graham in charge, the Bulls won the No. 4 pick once again, moving up from the ninth spot. Bulls legend Toni Kukoc represented the team on stage.

They also have the No. 15 pick from Portland as a result of the Lauri Markkanen sign-and-trade. This is believed to be a strong draft, so it's a nice year to have multiple picks. In the second round, the Bulls will pick No. 38 and 56 overall.

Speaking to reporters after the lottery, Graham said he nearly fainted when the Bulls were skipped at the No. 9 pick. He's also in the mindset of taking the best player available.

“This team is fluid, so trying to find a fit is not the right way to approach it,” Graham said. “You want to take the best player. Whether it’s a 6-4 guard or a 6-11 big man, you just want to take who you believe will have the best career at the end of the day.”

Washington landed the top overall pick for the first time since 2010. The other teams with the best lottery odds, Indiana and Brooklyn, dropped out of the top four. The Pacers' pick will go to the Los Angeles Clippers.

What happens with the Bulls obviously depends on the top three, but the two players that seem to be good fits are Duke's Cam Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson. The Bulls need size, so it seems like they can't go wrong with either of those players.

Boozer's father Carlos played for the Bulls from 2010-14, and Cam was born in '07, so his early memories of watching and playing basketball happened here. He and twin brother Cayden could be seen frequently running around the Berto Center as kids.

Here's an early guess at how the top 15 picks could fall at the NBA Draft on June 23:

1. Washington: A.J. Dybantsa, 6-9, BYU

Maybe not a lock to go No. 1 overall, but a very strong favorite right now; averaged 25.5 points as a freshman.

2. Utah: Darryn Peterson, 6-6, Kansas

He had an interesting season for the Jayhawks, experiencing full-body cramping in preseason, then missing several halves and full games with health issues. Does that make him risky in the eyes of NBA teams? He did play in 24 games last season.

3. Memphis: Cam Boozer, 6-9, Duke

Boozer does everything well — score, pass, decision-making. Some might knock him for limited athleticism by NBA standards, but there are no flaws in his skill set.

4. Bulls: Caleb Wilson, 6-10, North Carolina

Athletic big saw his season cut short by injuries. Wilson did play in 24 games, none after Feb. 10, averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds. He's an athletic, physical big man, a true power forward-center combo that's exactly what the Bulls have lacked.

5. LA Clippers: Darius Acuff, 6-3, Arkansas

Detroit native turned it up at tournament time, averaging 29.8 points in SEC and NCAA Tournaments.

6. Brooklyn: Keaton Wagler, 6-6, Illinois

Not sure anyone has ever moved up so far, this fast. Wagler was rated the No. 179th-best high school senior a year ago by On3 Media out of Shawnee Mission, Kan. He blossomed at Illinois when given the chance to play point forward.

7. Sacramento: Kingston Flemings, 6-4, Houston

Might be a nice replacement for De'Aaron Fox, though Flemings feels more like a two-guard.

8. Atlanta: Mikel Brown Jr., 6-5, Louisville

Another player whose freshman career was cut short, this time to 21 games with back issues. The Orlando native averaged 18.2 points and 4.7 assists when he did play.

9. Dallas: Labaron Philon, 6-3, Alabama

Might remind some people of Tyrese Maxey with a nice mix of playmaking and outside shooting. Philon spent two years at Bama, and played his last game at the United Center in the Sweet 16.

10. Milwaukee: Yaxel Lendeborg, 6-9, Michigan

While most players at the top of this list are college freshmen, Lendeborg is 23, a late bloomer who needed a few years in junior college, then two at UAB before blossoming into an All-American at Michigan. He's very versatile, though, with handles, a 3-point shot and strong defense.

11. Miami: Hannes Steinbach, 6-11, Washington

Very versatile Big Ten big, the Germany native may draw comparisons to Houston's Alperen Sengun.

12. Oklahoma City: Aday Mara, 7-3, Michigan

Thanks to the transfer portal, this native of Spain rose from bench player at UCLA to catalyst of an NCAA championship team in one year. Mara moves well and has great hands.

13. Miami: Brayden Burries, 6-4, Arizona

Solid combo guard led Arizona to Final Four and shot 39% from 3-point range.

14. Charlotte: Jayden Quaintance, 6-10, Kentucky

Played just four games this past season, so NBA scouts will have to check their archives. Cleveland native suffered a torn ACL in February, 2025 while playing for Arizona State.

15. Bulls: Bennett Stirtz, 6-4, Iowa

Started in Division II and kept getting better. His lone season at a major program resulted in 19.8 ppg, and a trip to Elite Eight. If Bulls go big with the No. 4 pick, they might try to add a shooter at 15. Shooting guard is wide open at the moment with both Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu gone.