The Chicago Bulls already made some strong additions to their young core this offseason in their selections of Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Wilson looks like the potential star of the future in Chicago, and Swain certainly has long-term upside as a rangy, athletic wing. But it's going to take much more than that to help the Bulls get on the trajectory they want to be on.
Thankfully, the Bulls are in possession of all of their first-round picks between now and 2033. Although the NBA's changed lottery rules have made tanking less profitable than ever, Chicago's roster has the mix of veteran talent it needs to sit firmly in the middle of the pack— taking full advantage of the new '3-2-1' system for deciding the draft order.
While this season will hold plenty of intriguing storylines, fans of any rebuilding team get the privilege of prospect watching on a much-too-early basis. With the benefit of Bleacher Report's recent 2027 NBA Mock Draft, then, let's take a look at three prospects Chicago might be targeting by the time we arrive at their next set of bites at the apple.
3 prospects that should already be on the Bulls' radar in an intriguing backcourt class
1. Stefan Joksimovic (SG/F, Baskonia)
You'll notice from the start that there's no centers on this list. This upcoming draft class is relatively bereft of big man talent, and the best center in the class—Patrick Ngongba II—seems more likely to fall in the 9-12 range as a result of his age.
But there's plenty of wing talent here, and we'll start with Joksimovic as an example. At just 17 years old, Joksimovic is likely the most highly-touted international prospect in next year's draft class. He saw extremely limited run with Baskonia in the EuroLeague last season, which is a highly impressive feat in and of itself. But he just performed excellently in a lead role for his native Slovenia, and at 6'7", his mix of shotmaking and athleticism could quickly make him one of the most tantalizing young prospects in this class.
2. Braylon Mullins (SG, Connecticut)
Although he certainly had a chance to go in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft after narrowly missing a college championship with Connecticut in his freshman season, Mullins elected to return for another year— giving himself the chance to be cemented as a lottery pick by the time we approach the next pre-draft cycle.
He averaged 12 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 33.5% from beyond the arc across 33 games during his freshman campaign, and he displayed a combination of perimeter shooting, off-ball movement, and defensive upside that should make him a clean fit as a shooting guard on a Bulls team that might be moving on from Norman Powell well before the expiration of his two-year deal.
He'll need to add some strength and take on a higher shot volume in 2026-27, but if the Bulls want a pure shotmaker to partner with Josh Giddey in the long-term, this is likely their guy.
3. Jordan Smith Jr. (PG/SG, Arkansas)
Smith is seen as perhaps the top talent in this upcoming class, but much of his projection will depend on how much he's able to flash as a lead ball-handler in John Calipari's offense. As much as Darius Acuff Jr. was able to show in that role last season, there were still those who had their doubts about him as a result of his size and lack of defensive upside.
For all we know, Smith could exit his freshman season with many of the same concerns. At just 6'2", he'll need to prove himself as a dynamic fast-break ballhandler and facilitator if he wants to enter the Draft with the same hype as Acuff. But if Chicago ultimately decides that Giddey isn't the long-term answer for their current roster, Smith has at least the quickness and defensive feel to be an option at point guard at the top of the Draft.
Add us as a preferred source on Google