The Chicago Bulls just experienced a basketball miracle, vaulting five spots in the lottery and landing the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft — but their run may not be over. According to league insider Jake Fischer, the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz, owners of the top two picks, are open to trading down, giving Chicago a chance to rise even higher.
For a team that entered the lottery with the ninth-best odds of obtaining the No. 1 pick, the Bulls' stealing No. 4 is a dream. Actually getting the top selection in one of the most anticipated drafts in recent memory would be a complete and utter fantasy.
And the path to acquiring one of those top two picks is more straight forward than you may think.
Wizards, Jazz open to trading down in 2026 NBA Draft
With six weeks to go, four prospects have separated themselves into this class's elite tier: BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Duke’s Cam Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson.
Bulls Executive VP of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham hit the lottery, if you will, leaping to fourth and guaranteeing himself at least one of them. If Fischer's report is true, Graham can do even better.
Via The Stein Line (subscription required), Fischer relays that Wizards president Michael Winger does not believe this to be "a savior moment," given Washington's recent acquisitions of Trae Young and Anthony Davis alongside an already budding young core.
Likewise, Jazz president Austin Ainge told Fischer, "We'll always listen." (Austin's dad, Danny, was responsible for trading back from No. 1 to No. 3 and drafting Jayson Tatum in 2017.)
Maybe this is all just an early smokescreen, but the Bulls can put together a compelling offer.
If Washington or Utah is sold on Wilson, for example, and believes he’ll be available at No. 4, they may be amenable to sliding back. Graham could dangle a package built around No. 4 and No. 15, which the Bulls also own, courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers.Â
The Bulls also control all their future firsts and 12 second-rounders over the next seven seasons. Would Nos. 4, 15 and 38 in this year's draft be enough to convince Washington or Utah to deal? Would an additional first-rounder help?
The assets are there.
The Bulls just received a franchise-changing gift
The majority of post-lottery mock drafts have Chicago selecting Wilson at No. 4. The 19-year-old has everything Graham seems to value in a prospect: size, length, athleticism and physicality. Turning the card in and going home with Wilson would be a massive win.
If the Wizards, Jazz or Memphis Grizzlies — who will pick third on June 23 — become enamored with Wilson, and one of Dybantsa, Peterson or Boozer falls to four, that would be equally as significant.
But having the option to choose any of them, or even three of the four, wouldn't just change the organization. It would give Bulls fans more hope than they've had since Derrick Rose held up his MVP trophy in 2012.
Add us as a preferred source on Google