The Chicago Bulls' season ended on April 16 with an embarrassing loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. Four first-round playoff series have been decided since then, including three of the four in the East. The offseason picture in The Windy City should be getting clearer, even if it's a baby step at a time.
But the Bulls being the Bulls, things seem just as confusing as they did last offseason. Maybe inside the building, the front office has a plan. Maybe this is just the calm before the storm. Maybe an Alex Caruso-Josh Giddey-type swap is in the works. Maybe Chicago's narrowing in on a handful of prospects it likes more than others.
At the moment, there's no clear direction outside of what Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas said at his end-of-season press conference, per NBA.com: “I cannot define the actual timeline, but what we have to do is build on the positives of this year and this young group and look for ways to improve and come back with a little bit higher expectations."
One of the primary ways teams in the Bulls' position can improve quickly is by selecting the right prospect in the draft, one who can contribute to the team immediately in some capacity and has the potential to develop into a star. Last year's lottery choice, Matas Buzelis, fits that description. So, where does Chicago turn this year?
Here's a roundup of some of the latest mocks from a trio draft experts.
Confusion reigns supreme for Bulls in latest 2025 NBA Mock Drafts
Chicago was among the best offensive teams in the league last season. Giddey and Coby White showed enough that they should at least be in the conversation to be franchise pillars going forward. Ditto for Buzelis. What the Bulls need is a defensive presence. Will they be in a position to select one?
Yahoo!Sports: Liam McNeeley, F, Connecticut
Yahoo draft guru Kevin O'Connor has Chicago going in the exact opposite direction with his projected selection of Connecticut wing Liam McNeeley. McNeeley is a 6-foot-8 wing who averaged 14.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists as a 19-year-old freshman with the Huskies. He was one of the country's top prospects in the class of 2024.
The Texas native projects as a three-point specialist, secondary playmaker and all-around connective offensive piece. He showed flashes of spot-up shooting and the ability to hit from deep coming off screens and curls.
Of the selection, O'Connor writes, "The Bulls were third in 3-point attempts per game but only 13th in percentage. They clearly want to be a high volume and high efficiency scoring team. Maybe McNeeley can help since he projects as a sharpshooting wing with superb instincts moving with the ball, and the touch to splash from deep ranges."
An extra three-point shooter on a team that didn't have much trouble scoring but struggled on defense doesn't seem like a sound fit, but OK, double down on your strength, right?
McNeeley shot 38.1 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from three at UConn. Right now, he's only a three-point marksman in theory.
Bleacher Report: Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has the Bulls making another questionable selection with Illinois guard Karsparas Jakucionis.
The Lithuanian is a 6-foot-6, 200-pound point guard who is a savvy operator out of the pick-and-roll and flashes some creativity as a ball handler and shot creator. He was productive for a good Illini team, averaging 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists, but he also averaged 3.7 turnovers and shot just 31.8 percent from three, and is a poor point-of-attack defender.
If a point guard with good positional size, passing savvy and pick-and-roll creation who struggles to play man-to-man defense sounds familiar to Bulls fans, that's because it is. The one thing Jakucionis has going for him, though, is a better shooting stroke than Giddey had as a prospect.
CBS Sports: Khaman Maluach, C, Duke
Maluach falling to the Bulls at 12 would be reminiscent of Buzelis sliding to Chicago at No. 11 last summer. There's a bit of an eye-of-the-beholder feel to Maluach given how raw he is as a prospect, but his upside is gigantic—literally—and he's exactly what the Bulls need to begin transforming their defense.
Maluach picked up a basketball for the first time five years ago, yet started all 39 games for the National Runners-Up. He's every bit of 7-foot-2, 250 pounds and displays that size on the interior but also shows a fluidity and agility rare for someone of his size.
He was a dominant force near the basket with the Blue Devils, pulling down nearly three offensive rebounds per game, shooting 71.2 percent from the field and blocking 1.3 shots a night. He demonstrated his ability to run the floor and showcased glimpses of a three-point shot during his rise with the NBA Academy Africa.
Maluach's ability to defend the rim, gobble up rebounds and run the floor makes him the absolute most ideal prospect for the Bulls in this draft. Hopefully, CBS Sports' Gary Parrish is on the money with this one.