Apparently there is a possibility that the Chicago Bulls move up in the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery in place of the Warriors to get James Wiseman.
The idea that the Chicago Bulls trade into the top three, specifically in the place of the Minnesota Timberwolves or Golden State Warriors, is something that picked up a lot of steam in various media discussions and NBA fan circles. And since the night of the 2020 NBA Draft is upon us, we’re about to see what will play out for the Bulls with their fourth overall pick in the lottery.
A more common idea that is circulating of late is that the Bulls will piece together some trade deal with the Warriors to move up into the second slot in the draft lottery. The Warriors seem to be the most likely of the teams picking in the top three (Timberwolves, Warriors, and Charlotte Hornets, in order from top-to-bottom) to trade out on draft night.
And according to the latest mock draft from Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated, there are ideas and discussions going around lately that suggest the Bulls could move up into the second spot in the draft lottery in a trade with the Warriors. This idea from Woo in his latest mock draft ahead of the night of Nov. 18 is that the Bulls would move into the Warriors slot to select the former Memphis Tigers elite five-star recruit and freshman center James Wiseman.
Here’s more on what this latest edition of the 2020 NBA Mock Draft ahead of the night of Nov. 18 had to say on the Wiseman rumors with the Bulls.
"There is talk that the Bulls could trade up from this spot—and my sense is that they’d be targeting James Wiseman. Over the course of the past 24 hours, I’ve increasingly come to believe the Bulls will select Williams here. Call this a hunch. Per sources, Chicago was one of just a few teams to receive in-person workout access. The idea of Williams as a top-five pick—specifically at this spot—has been gathering a lot of steam in opposing front offices, and the entire thing looks increasingly suspicious."
The actual pick in this mock draft from Woo of SI for the Bulls had them picking the former Florida State Seminoles forward Patrick Williams if they stick in the four slot. Woo also mentioned that the Bulls are still interested in the likes of the former Iowa State Cyclones point guard Tyrese Haliburton and Maccabi Tel Aviv shooting guard/wing Deni Avdija.
If the Bulls were to land Wiseman in this draft lottery, it would likely involve them trading into the top three. Landing any of the likes of point guard LaMelo Ball, shooting guard Anthony Edwards, or Wiseman would mean that they probably have to move into the top three on a draft night trade.