Monday, Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported that the Chicago Bulls contacted the Washington Wizards to discuss the number one overall draft pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, presumably to discuss trading the Bulls’ number four pick in the 2026 draft for the Wizards’ top 2026 draft pick.
Given the strong consensus outlook on the top four prospects of the 2026 NBA Draft, it’s not unreasonable for a rebuilding franchise like the Bulls to explore gaining more control of their rebuild options via the draft by having their choice of Brigham Young University forward AJ Dybantsa, University of Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke University forward Cameron Boozer, and University of North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson.
Why would Washington consider trading back from number one?
The Wizards have been in a methodical, turned-aggressive rebuild since they replaced their front office leadership starting in May 2023, hiring Michael Winger as president of basketball operations and Will Dawkins as general manager.Â
The Wizards already have six rotational minutes-level players who are on rookie-scale contracts in guards Bub Carrington, Tre Johson, Bilal Coulibaly, forwards Will Riley, Kyshawn George, and center Alex Sarr.
The Wizards signaled a clear demand for star-level veteran players at the 2026 NBA trade deadline by acquiring guard Trae Young and forward Anthony Davis. Perhaps the Wizards view the 2026 draft as less of an opportunity to acquire a foundational player and more as an opportunity to draft for fit around their existing young talent and two headlining stars they presumably plan to sign to contract extensions.
Trading up from four is worth the cost to the Bulls, with a caveat
Owning the fourth pick in the 2026 NBA draft is already a wonderful change of circumstances for the Bulls, who have for six NBA seasons been lodged in mediocrity for all but 35 games of the 2021-22 NBA season. Â
The optionality of the Bulls’ 2026 draft outlook, owning both the fourth overall and 15th overall draft picks, is arguably the best since the franchise earned a history-making jump in the 2008 NBA Draft lottery when the Bulls jumped to owning the number one draft pick that turned into franchise legend guard Derrick Rose.
Provided the Bulls do not surrender future draft picks of any kind, the Bulls should aggressively do whatever is necessary to secure the first pick in the 2026 NBA draft. Bryson Graham is not beholden to any current Bulls players on the roster as the newly hired head of the Bulls’ front office.Â
Arguably the best players on the Bulls roster, Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis are good NBA players and also not without flaws that may limit their upside potential. Graham has made it clear he intends to build his roster through the draft, and there is no better draft tool to build a roster with than a number one overall draft pick.
Add us as a preferred source on Google