Bulls' Guard-Heavy Pre-Draft Workout List Sparking Trade Speculation

Bryson Graham is leaving no stone unturned.

As easy as his first pick in the 2026 NBA Draft might be, the Chicago Bulls' new lead executive isn't letting that change his pre-draft plans. In recent days, we have learned more about who has shown up at the Advocate Center for individual workouts and meetings.

The first update named two guards expected to go in between the Bulls' No. 4 pick and No. 15 pick in Mikel Brown Jr. and Kingston Flemings. And we can now add a couple of other highly-touted perimeter players to the fast-growing list.

According to Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports, Illinois' Keaton Wagler was in town last week to meet with the Bulls. HoopsHype has also added Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. to their rolling workout list. As if seeing Brown Jr. and Flemings this early in the process wasn't interesting enough, adding Wagler and Acuff to the mix opens a slightly bigger can of worms.

Bulls Continue to Look at Top Guards in NBA Draft

Mar 26, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) shoots past Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Look, as we've said before, teams in the Top 5 are always going to do their due diligence. They would be silly not to. But even Kevin O'Connor couldn't help but raise his eyebrow at some of the players to be brought into the Bulls' gym first.

"Chicago also holds the 15th pick, but it's more likely than not Wagler, Flemings and Ament (and possibly Johnson) are all gone by that selection," O'Connor wrote in his Yahoo Sports mock draft. "So it has front office executives curious: Could Chicago be open to trading down from this fourth pick? Or could Chicago be looking to trade up from 15th? Or could Chicago shock everyone with the choice here? Time will tell."

Wagler and Acuff, in particular, are viewed as two prospects in the running to go right after Chicago makes their selection. Wagler has been the most popular name for the Clippers at No. 5, while Acuff has been connected to the Nets at No. 6.

So ... does this mean that Bryson Graham could legitimately consider a wild card move at No. 4? Nothing can be taken off the table, especially when we're talking about someone as new to the game as Graham!

The truth is, other than sharing SLAP acronym, we do not truly know what kind of talent Graham prefers. We're also not sure exactly what kind of team he wants to build moving forward. Both Wagler and Acuff could be considered the less risky offensive choices. Wagler offers good size and is one of the best pure shooters in the draft. Acuff has a three-level game with strength and shiftiness. All things considered, Caleb Wilson would come to the Bulls with a less defined offensive upside.

At the same time, this might as well be the completely wrong draft to get cute. And one has to imagine a strong talent evaluator like Graham understands that. Whichever one of the Top 4 prospects lands in the Bulls' lap will almost certainly be the player on the floor next season.

The far more likely outcome is that, aside from merely doing his due diligence, Graham is looking into a potential trade-up from No. 15. Now, it previously felt like he could aim for the high teens, as that would cost significantly less. But perhaps bringing in each of these Top 10 guards tells us that the Bulls really are contemplating a significant splash. And, hey, can you blame them? Grabbing Wilson AND one of these young guards could be an excellent way to speed up the rebuild. This is particularly true when you remember that both the 2027 and 2028 classes are projected to have a way less deep talent pool.

Nate Ament and Morez Johnson are two other players who O'Connor said completed their workouts. The former is another player whom the Bulls would presumably have to move up to grab, though the Tennessee forward has been projected to go more in the late lottery. Johnson's projection has been far more volatile. Some believe the Michigan big man could shoot up in the coming weeks, while others have mocked him to be available when the Bulls are on the clock a second time.

Speaking of which, Iowa's Bennett Stirtz and Stanford's Ebuka Okorie join Johnson as recent workouts who are most likely to be available at No. 15. It's undoubtedly interesting that there haven't been more players who fall in this range to do their workouts. However, the expectation is that there will be over the next couple of weeks. We'll keep you posted!

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