Chicago Bulls: Sam Smith has Deni Avdija going fourth in the draft

The post-2020 NBA Draft Lottery mock ups are starting to come out in droves, and Chicago Bulls writer Sam Smith has them picking Deni Avdija fourth.

The necessary fortune that the Chicago Bulls needed to rejuvenate this rebuild arrived for them on Aug. 20, as the night of the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery saw them get the fourth overall pick. Coming into draft lottery night, the Bulls had the seventh best odds to win the lottery and get the first overall pick in the 2020 draft. But they were able to double jump some of the teams in the top four of the draft lottery odds and get in that coveted fourth spot.

The other team that jumped into the top four in the draft lottery was the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets landed the third overall pick in the first round of the 2020 draft.

Moreover, the conversation for the Bulls is now directed to where executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley go with the fourth overall pick. Will they trade up or down or who will they pick in the fourth slot?

Bulls team writer (formerly of the Chicago Tribune) Sam Smith gave his thoughts on where the team could go with the fourth overall pick in his edition of the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery mock up on Aug. 21. He had the Bulls picking the 19-year-old 6-foot-7 Maccabi Tel Aviv shooting guard/small forward Deni Avdija fourth overall in the 2020 draft.

Here’s more on what Smith had to say on the matter of the Bulls picking Avdija in this mock draft.

"Ball would be appealing for attention and excitement. And need as the Bulls don’t have a true facilitating point guard. But you still could make a case of seeing what Coby White and Zach LaVine could do together. The wing position is virtually empty and with his international experience he’s already a pro who also can be a secondary ball handler. Luka-light? That wouldn’t be too bad."

In this mock, Smith actually had the talented 6-foot-7 and 180 pound point guard LaMelo Ball dropping all the way down to fifth overall, getting picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers. To round out the top three, Smith had the Minnesota Timberwolves picking Georgia freshman shooting guard Anthony Edwards, Golden State Warriors picking Memphis center James Wiseman, and the Hornets going with Dayton forward Obi Toppin.

Avdija would definitely be a solid pick for the Bulls by all indications, but it would be difficult for them to turn down picking LaMelo if he fell all the way to the fourth spot. The Bulls would then have the opportunity to trade the pick.

In the next six weeks, the draft strategy for the Bulls might start to clear up a bit. Avdija would certainly both provide a promising part of this young core heading into the fourth year of the rebuild, and fill a positional need on the wing.