Chicago Bulls: Draft strategy assuming first overall pick possession

With 12.5 percent odds to land the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls could wind up in a very fortunate situation.

Duke’s Zion Williamson is the consensus first overall pick for this June, and if the Chicago Bulls were to land him, there would be quite a dilemma with regards to keeping the pick or moving it. Surely the Bulls could use a potentially generational talent in Williamson, however power forward is not the major position Chicago needs to address.

Williamson is the most highly-anticipated NBA prospect since Anthony Davis back in 2012. His expectations at the professional level are simply through the roof. His electrifying athleticism is what separates him from the rest of the top prospects in this year’s draft, and what NBA general managers hope will make him an elite player at the professional level.

While moving the pick or selecting another player could be a better fit for the team, this move could be absolutely haunting for the Bulls. Back in 2007, the Portland Trail Blazers passed on a generational talent in Kevin Durant with the first overall pick and opted to take a positional fit in Greg Oden. It would be an understatement to say that Portland would like to have that pick back, and Chicago does not want to make a mistake like that.

In this hypothetical situation, Jon Paxson and Gar Forman will have to weigh their options with what to do with that coveted first overall selection. In order to get the Chicago Bulls back on track, they will need to execute this decision perfectly.