As Bulls' Lottery Odds Shrink, New Mock Draft Has Them Taking Nikola Vucevic Replacement

While the trade deadline remains on everybody's mind, we can't forget to keep tabs on the top 2026 NBA Draft prospects.

Jan 4, 2026; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Washington Huskies guard Desmond Claude (1) and Washington Huskies forward Hannes Steinbach (6) high-five after a play against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

In the eyes of many fans, the Chicago Bulls are trending in the wrong direction.

While they have dropped two games in a row, their recent December surge moved them up the league standings. They now sit at 17-19 on the season, which means they are only 2.5 games back from a Top 8 spot in the Eastern Conference. Of course, moving up the league leaderboards means moving down the draft lottery standings, where the Bulls are now on the cusp of exiting altogether.

The Bulls are currently 14th in the lottery picture and only 1.5 games out from forgoing a chance to move up the draft board. To be sure, there is a lot of time left for changes, but this is the time of year when you typically begin to see teams pick a lane. Will the Bulls continue to hover around .500 and run the risk of sitting out the lottery, or will they make a concerted effort to improve their luck?

If one thing is for sure, this would be the draft to do the latter. While considered an overall deep class, the Top 5 is considered to be among the best we have seen in years. Multiple players are in the running for the No. 1 pick because of their superstar potential, including AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, and Darryn Peterson. With that in mind, the drop off to the late-lottery appears rather significant.

Nevertheless, considering we have no clue where the Bulls will end up on draft night, it can not hurt to familiarize ourselves with a wide-range of prospects over the next few months. Draft expert Jonathan Wasserman released his latest mock for Bleacher Report this week, and he gave Bulls fans a big man watch out for with the No. 14 pick.

Hannes Steinbach Heads to Bulls in B/R Mock Draft

Dec 3, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies forward Hannes Steinbach (6) shoots the ball against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman went with Washington's Hannes Steinbach for the Chicago Bulls. A name that probably has not been on many radars, the Freshman big man has climbed the charts over his 11 games this season.

Steinbach is averaging 18.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per game for the 9-5 Huskies. He's also shot an impressive 59.2 percent from the field and has flashed some floor-spacing ability with his 6-15 display from downtown thus far. Steinbach's 77.9 percent success rate from the free throw line – where he visits 6.2 times a game – also inspires some confidence in his jumper.

A six-foot-eleven big man, Wasserman's pro comp for Steinbach was fellow German native Mo Wagner. You can certainly see the similarities when watching the tape, as Steinbach has a high motor for his size, some good physcality around the rim, and the potential to become a servicable pick-and-pop threat.

With that said, Steinbach appears to be an even more crafty athlete with a more diverse package of finishing skills. His footwork around the rim is already pretty advanced, and the same can be said about his touch. The 19-year-old can hit you with a nasty spin move to create space or finish a teardrop right over the top of you.

I think it's safe to say the elite athleticism isn't there, though, especially on the defensive end. Whether or not he would be the rim-protector the Bulls have desperately needed is a very fair concern. The same can be said about his ability to keep up in the open floor on a faster-paced Bulls team (I do like the hustle I've seen in clips, though).

If one thing is for sure, we can not rule out the Chicago Bulls looking for their future center in this draft. Nikola Vucevic is on an expiring deal and could even be out the door by the time the trade deadline rolls around. Relatedly, Zach Collins will be up for a new deal, while Jalen Smith will enter the final year of his contract in 2026-27. This is a franchise with an obvious long-term hole at the five.

So ... could Steinbach be the answer? He at least feels like a name worth having on our radar over the next few months, especially if the Bulls do continue to hover around the backend of the lottery.