1) Draft sleepers the Chicago Bulls could trade down for: Theo Maledon
Taking the risk of picking an international prospect is always a tough move for a team that is in a rebuilding mode like the Bulls. They’ve received mixed results from going the international route in the draft, but this is a really solid draft class from overseas this year. If there was anytime for the Bulls new look front office regime to take that route in the draft, this year might be the safest of any in recent offseasons.
There’s an abundance of talented guards that could develop into quality starters in the NBA in this draft class. The most notable of which are the 6-foot-5 19-year-old French point guard Theo Maledon, fellow France native Killian Hayes, and Maccabi Tel Aviv shooting guard/small forward Deni Avdija.
Landing a prospect like Avdija could require the Bulls to keep their fourth overall pick, or maybe even trade up, in the draft lottery to get. But they would likely be able to trade down to various different spots in the first round of the draft to land an international guard in this class like Maledon or Hayes. There’s even a chance that Maledon could fall into the mid-20’s in the first round of this draft.
During the 2019-20 season, Maledon played overseas in the EuroLeague with LDLC Asvel. He played in 22 games during that campaign in EuroLeague and averaged 7.4 points per game, 1.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.1 blocks. Maledon shot 45.6 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 68.9 percent from the free-throw line.
He is an improving and solid shooter, good playmaker, and has the physical tools to be a really good two-way guard.