Bulls 2026 NBA Draft grades for every pick

Pick No. 4: North Carolina PF/C Caleb Wilson

Draft Grade: A+

With AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer all falling off the draft board in succession as many had predicted, Caleb Wilson was clearly the best player available for the Bulls and widely regarded as the best overall big man in this draft. Standing 6-foot-9 and skying with a 39.5-inch max vertical, Wilson will quickly become a terror on the floor with his shot-blocking and rebounding while flying around as a major lob threat.

The Bulls have lacked an explosive big in their lineup for quite some time after playing behind big man Nikola Vucevic for six seasons. The emergence of Matas Buzelis at the small forward slot as both a high-flying dunker and isolation scorer has worked wonders for the offense, so adding similar capabilities from Caleb Wilson alonside Buzelis will have both players living above the rim for the upcoming seasons.

Many regarded Caleb Wilson as the most versatile big man in this draft thanks to his scoring in the mid-range and arguably possessing the best post game in all of NCAA as a freshman. At just 19 years old, his ceiling is extremely high and he’s drawn player comps to a current talent like Cavs’ Evan Mobley or a legend like Kevin Garnett. Bulls fans should be extremely excited about his driven nature and work ethic to be the best, likely developing into a future All-Star if the Bulls can use him in the right ways.

Pick No. 15: Texas G/F Dailyn Swain

Draft Grade: B

With players like Cameron Carr, Christian Anderson Jr., and Ebuka Okorie still on the board by the time the Bulls came back around to No. 15, many were surprised by the reach to take Texas F Dailyn Swain who was widely projected to be selected around the 20th pick of the draft. However, a deeper look could reveal Swain is exactly who the Bulls were targeting thanks to his two-way abilities and knack for having his hands in on every play while leading the Texas Longhorns.

In fact, Swain was the only major-conference player last season to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, a true testament to his ability to do a little bit of everything on the floor. He’ll likely play behind Bulls’ cornerstone Matas Buzelis, but don’t be surprised if Swain can make an immediate impact off the bench similar to what we saw out of Spurs’ Dylan Harper during the NBA Playoffs.

Swain is also unselfish with the basketball and fills lanes extremely well, moving fluidly and effortlessly through defense for someone who stands 6-foot-8. Expect him to make the most of any minutes he sees during the regular season, likely landing himself a starting spot far earlier than many would expect.

Bulls’ Final Draft Grade: A-

This is one of the more exciting drafts the Bulls have had in recent memory and fans should genuinely be excited about all the positive changes President Brandon Graham will be bringing to this franchise over the coming years. Adding Nic Claxton will also be a massive help as they’re building a core of positionless players who can guard multiple positions and score from anywhere on the floor.

Furthermore, this Bulls team is built to run and will be a handful to deal with in transition with numerous athletes running at the rim simultaneously. No draft is ever perfect, but the Chicago Bulls did about as good of a job as they could securing success in the near future.