Could the Chicago Bulls Pull Off the Steal of the NBA Draft at No. 10?

When a draft class is as crowded as this one, there are worse things than sitting in the back of the lottery order. In our latest NBA Draft Lottery simulation, we see the Bulls select one of the many impressive youngsters who are currently competing in the NCAA Tournament. A handful of players have only helped build their stock in recent weeks, and this includes the leading scorer on one of the remaining No. 1 seeds.

In case you missed it, we have run this lottery simulation twice already. In each of our first installments of this series, the Bulls managed to jump up into the Top 3. This time around, however, the lottery gods weren't nearly as kind. Let's take a look!

Current NBA Draft Lottery Order (March 24)

1. Indiana Pacers (16-56)
2. Washington Wizards (16-55)
3. Brooklyn Nets (17-55)
4. Sacramento Kings (19-53)
5. Utah Jazz (21-51)
6. Dallas Mavericks (23-49)
7. Memphis Grizzlies (24-47)
8. Atlanta Hawks via Pelicans (25-47)
9. Milwaukee Bucks (29-42)
- Chicago Bulls (29-42)
11. Golden State Warriors (34-48)
12. Portland Trail Blazers (36-37)
13. Charlotte Hornets (37-34)
14. Miami Heat (38-34)

NBA Draft Lottery Simulation II

1. Sacramento Kings
2. Brooklyn Nets
3. Indiana Pacers
4. Washington Wizards
5. Utah Jazz
6. Dallas Mavericks
7. Memphis Grizzlies
8. Atlanta Hawks – New Orleans Pelicans
9. Milwaukee Bucks
10. Chicago Bulls
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Portland Trail Blazers
13. Charlotte Hornets
14. Miami Heat

The Chicago Bulls Select ...

Brayden Burries of Arizona — Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) shoots against LIU Sharks forward Jamal Fuller (33) in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Brayden Burries of the Arizona Wildcats has only looked better and better.

Once considered in the running for a mid-lottery pick, a somewhat pedestrian start to the 2026 campaign led to a slide for Burries. He has since been thrown in the back of the lottery or even outside of it altogether, but the consensus seems to be changing again as the guard leads the No. 1-seeded Wildcats into the Sweet Sixteen.

Burries isn't the flashiest of players, which is a big reason why performers like Darius Acuff Jr. and Kingston Flemings have passed him up in most mock drafts. But it's becoming increasingly hard to deny his two-way productivity and winning brand of basketball, which are certainly two things the Chicago Bulls are desperate to add.

Burries stands six-foot-four but plays considerably bigger thanks to his 205-pound frame. He has averaged nearly 5.0 rebounds a night in a backcourt role and already has a combined 14 over two NCAA Tournament games thus far. Burries is also very good at using this strength to finish through contact efficiently and force his way to the charity stripe.

Speaking of which, Burries has a pretty mature scoring arsenal for someone his age. Not only does he recognize the advantages he has in the strength department, but he is also very good at playing at his own speed and nailing jump shots. Burries has shot 49.9 percent from the field this season and 39.2 percent from long range on 4.4 attempts a night.

The guard isn't someone who needs the ball in his hands to find the bottom of the net. He is a very opportunistic scorer at the guard position, which isn't necessarily something we see often nowadays. This is a big reason why I could see the Bulls liking his potential fit alongside Josh Giddey. Burries can allow Giddey to do a lot of the primary playmaking while he focuses on splashing catch-and-shoot jumpers or creating more for himself.

Is he the perfect defender to potentially have next to Giddey in the backcourt? You would like him to be a little taller, but he certainly has the makings of a high-level perimeter defender. He stays engaged on that side of the ball and moves his feet well. We watched him put on a particularly good showing against Houston in the Big-12 title game against one of the best pure scorers in the class, Kingston Flemings. He helped hold the breakout star to just 8 points on 3-12 shooting.

Again, Burries isn't the kind of player that's going to blow you away on the tape, but it almost feels as if that's by design most of the time. He does an excellent job fitting in on an uber-talented Arizona team and looks comfortable in any role he's asked to play – including crunch time scorer. I see shades of guys like CJ McCollum, Derrick White, and Malcolm Brogdon in his game. All three guys were impactful players on winning teams during the best stretches of their careers, and what more can you ask for in the No. 10 spot?

At the end of the day, Burries is someone who looks like a 15-year NBA veteran. He may not necessarily turn into the Bulls' next face of the franchise, but he has the tools to be the kind of player a star wants to play alongside.

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