Draft Trade Buzz Growing About Bulls Moving Up From No. 15

A new report from The Athletic says that teams have heard from the Chicago Bulls about trading up on draft night for a second lottery pick.

Mar 25, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) looks on during a practice session ahead of the west regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

One big question has emerged for the Chicago Bulls over the last couple of weeks: Could they make a surprise move on NBA Draft night?

First things first, they are better equipped than most teams to strike a deal this summer. Not only do they have loads of financial flexibility, but they also have four total picks in this upcoming draft. Three of those are seen as pretty valuable selections, sitting at No. 4, No. 15, and No. 38.

Their initial list of workouts hasn't poured any cold water on this speculation. The first batch of players to come into the Advocate Center has been very guard-heavy. More specifically, several of the top guards expected to go in the 5-12 range have already visited with the Bulls.

When it comes to guys like Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff, and Kingston Flemings, there is little to no chance that they will be around once the Bulls pick a second time at No. 15. Could they shock the world and go with one at No. 4? Sure, but that feels just as unlikely as one of them sliding down the board.

This is why there has only been more chatter among fans about the Bulls considering a move back into the lottery from No. 15. And, well, it turns out this chatter has been more than justified!

Bulls Have Been Calling About a Trade Up ...

May 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view before the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Navy Pier. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

According to The Athletic's Sam Vecenie, who reported this week that a couple of teams have heard that the Bulls are asking around about a trade-up. New lead executive Bryson Graham has apparently been investigating what it might take to get back into the lottery and pair his No. 4 selection with another high long-term building block.

For what it's worth, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints relayed a similar message regarding the Bulls' interest in potentially climbing the ladder for one of the top guard prospects. This also comes in the wake of Siegel reporting that Chicago called the Wizards about what it could take to get the No. 1 overall pick.

To be sure, moving out of No. 4 in any capacity feels pretty unlikely. Any call about acquiring the Top 3 pick is likely just Graham doing his due diligence. You never know the price you ask, right? With that in mind, it's also possible this is what is motivating Graham's other phone calls about getting a second lottery pick. When you're rebuilding a franchise and stockpiled with some good assets, it never hurts to pick up the phone.

Bulls fans should probably get used to this mentality. Arturas Karnisovas was known to keep things incredibly close to the vest and wasn't at all known for his trade talks. There is a good chance that Graham will operate in a very different fashion. Heck, he even sat in front of the media during his introductory press conference and stressed that there are essentially no untouchable players in the NBA. He clearly believes it's his job to exhaust all his options.

At the same time, by exhausting all your options, who's to say you don't eventually find a deal you like? Let's not forget that most new front office executives want to immediately make a team their own. What better way to do that than by immediately securing two lottery picks in one of the deepest drafts in years?

It's all, of course, going to come down to the price tag. Moving up is never easy, and it's going to be especially costly if the Bulls' plan is to secure one of these highly-touted guards. This would almost surely require them to move into the Top 10, which may very well come at the expense of No. 15, No. 38, and an additional first-round pick. Is that really worth it, particularly if you think that a solid player will slide out of the lottery and be available at No. 15?

It would make the most sense in a world where a team is hungry to get off salary. The Bulls could lower the cost of the trade-up by taking on some unwanted money. The Sacramento Kings are at No. 7 and could use some help cleaning up their books. Milwaukee is at No. 10 and may want to avoid taking back bad money in a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo deal. Even then, however, would either of those franchises really want to fork over that kind of pick in this draft? It's unlikely.

Once again, it never hurts to ask around! But the Bulls have found themselves in a pretty fantastic situation, and one has to imagine Bryson Graham will realize that more and more as June 23rd nears. The last thing you want to do is get too cute and screw things up, so most should expect the Bulls to happily stay put later this month.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X and Facebook for the latest news