There are many different ways the Chicago Bulls can approach the No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls are "zoning in" on Egor Demin as a possible selection with their lottery pick. However, selecting Demin is probably not one that makes a ton of sense. Unless, of course, the Bulls are planning or at least exploring the option of letting Josh Giddey walk in free agency.
For now, the expectation has been that the Bulls plan on keeping Giddey. But this rumored draft strategy could add another layer of confusion for Chicago heading into the summer.
Demin is a talented player who seems to be enjoying a late surge up NBA Draft boards over the last couple of weeks. However, even though he's probably going to come off the board in Chicago's range, I'm not sure how willing the Bulls should be to take a player who has an extremely similar skill set to Giddey. Under the assumption that the Bulls are going to re-sign Giddey, adding Demin could leave the fan base extremely disappointed and underwhelmed.
Bulls' draft strategy may tip their free agency plan with Josh Giddey?
In many ways, how the Bulls operate at the NBA Draft could indicate what we could expect from the team when free agency opens. The overwhelming belief is that the Bulls are going to extend Giddy. After all, they almost have to. Trading for him last offseason and then letting him walk in free agency a year later, especially after the strong year he enjoyed this season, would be a massive stain on this front office.
However, you can't help but wonder if the Bulls have at least explored the possibility of what it may look like if they let Giddey walk in free agency or perhaps even worked to find a sign-and-trade with another team that would make sense for all sides involved.
I wouldn't expect letting Giddey leave in free agency, whether that's outright or via sign-and-trade, as the likely scenario for Chicago this offseason. There would be plenty of questions to answer if that's a path they willingly take. However, the interest in a prospect so similar to Giddey does add some doubt to his future in Chicago.
Out of all the potential prospects that the Bulls could be looking to target, taking Demin, who is uniquely almost identical to Giddey, is quite fascinating. It's not a foregone conclusion that the Bulls are going to take Demin, and maybe this rumor is a complete smokescreen, but it should pique the interest and give the fan base a little insight into how the Bulls may be operating heading into the offseason.
With roughly three weeks until draft day, I'm sure the Bulls are exploring many potential options. Demin could very well be one of them. And there's no question that their interest in Demin could tip their hand into the level of open-mindedness the Bulls are entering the offseason with. That should be considered a positive, especially as the front office looks to set a new foundation for the future.
The Bulls are in a place where anything and everything should be on the table heading into the offseason. I wouldn't advocate drafting Demin and then looking to sign-and-trade Giddey, but these rumors do give a sense that there's at least a non-zero chance of that happening.