With the 12th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls selected 18-year-old French prospect Noa Essengue—a move that quickly drew mixed reactions. Essengue’s climb into lottery territory made the selection far from surprising, but his inexperience stood in stark contrast to the Bulls’ need for a ready-made contributor.
It was a polarizing selection, especially because the Bulls reportedly had the option to trade back and secure additional draft capital. The Atlanta Hawks’ 13th pick was sent to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for No. 23 and New Orleans’ highly coveted 2026 first-rounder, which was a move that ultimately benefited both teams. In contrast, Chicago stood pat, and in doing so, emerged as the biggest loser of the trio.
Noa Essengue takes a steep drop in NBA Re-Draft
Yet, according to Bleacher Report, the Bulls were among the biggest losers of the first round. While B/R didn’t say that outright in its 2025 NBA Re-Draft, Essengue’s drop from No. 12 to No. 22 was one of the steepest of any first-rounder. Only the Brooklyn Nets’ Nolan Traore fell further, and the Wizards’ Will Riley slipped from No. 21 to out of the first round entirely—meaning his drop may have been even more dramatic than Essengue’s.
Coincidentally, Bleacher Report placed Essengue on the Nets in its re-draft, writing, “If there was ever a team to take a chance on Noa Essengue, even given his season-ending shoulder surgery, it would be the franchise with five first-round picks.”
It’s a fair admission, considering the Nets had a wide margin for error with five first-rounders. And while hindsight is 20/20—Brooklyn couldn’t have known Essengue would need surgery—taking a swing on a high-upside 18-year-old wing would’ve been a savvy move.
To finish Essengue’s blurb, Greg Swartz wrote, “Still very young and with good size at 6'8", Essengue is worth drafting and waiting for if you’re Brooklyn.” If you’re Brooklyn. And while Chicago may be only three games ahead of the Nets in the Eastern Conference standings, their roster compositions couldn’t be more different.
Brooklyn is in the midst of a full-fledged rebuild, taking as many swings as possible—something reflected in their five first-round picks. Chicago, on the other hand, is doing everything but embracing a rebuild, a philosophy that has produced nothing but long-term mediocrity. So, given where the Bulls are as a franchise, using their lone first-round pick on an 18-year-old project was far from ideal.
Essengue can certainly develop into an impactful player. He won’t turn 19 until December, making him nearly two years younger than the aforementioned Queen. Time is on his side, but because of his injury, his sophomore year will function as his true rookie season. That’s a scenario the Bulls could’ve avoided, even without knowing he’d require season-ending surgery.