The last decade's worth of NBA draft picks have been a mixed bag for the Chicago Bulls. Last year's selection of Matas Buzelis seems like a hit, but the jury is still out on Dalen Terry, who was the 18th pick in 2022.
Ayo Dosunmu was a valuable second-round find in 2021, but that came a year after one of the biggest busts in recent NBA history, Patrick Williams being selected by Chicago with the No. 4 overall pick in 2020.
Coby White was the No. 7 pick in 2019, and although it took time, he's developed into one of the franchise's most indispensable players.
Wendell Carter was a solid pick in 2018, but he left Chicago in the Nikola Vucevic trade and is now the starting center for the Orlando Magic, now a perennial playoff team.
After losing a tiebreaker to the Dallas Mavericks, the Bulls sit 12th in the lottery standings heading into the offseason. That gives them a 1.7 percent chance at landing the No. 1 pick, slim odds to say the least.
If the ping-pong balls don't dance in their favor, Arturas Karnisovas and the team's front office may have to pivot and make a decision that won't be popular with the fans but may be the best option for the long-term future of the franchise.
Bulls may be faced with massive choice during the 2025 NBA Draft
The top three, perhaps four, prospects in this year's draft seem set: Duke wing Cooper Flagg, Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper, fellow Scarlet Knight Ace Bailey and Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe. The tier after that is a little more open with options like Duke center Khaman Maluach, Texas guard Tre Johnson and Maryland center Derik Queen.
The next level of prospects is an eye-of-the-beholder group that includes forward Kon Knueppel from Duke, point guard Jeremiah Fears from Oklahoma, guard Jase Richardson from Michigan State and big man Asa Newell from Georgia, among a few others.
If the Bulls don't luck into the top five and are picking in the teens, they're going to face a serious dilemma: If the right prospect isn't on the board, should Chicago force a fit, take a flier on someone they're not 100 percent comfortable with, or is it the smarter choice to trade back and accumulate extra draft capital?
As disappointing as that last option might sound to fans, it could be the smart one. When Karnisovas asked for patience, he did so while explaining it was only the first year of the franchise rebuild. If that's the case, having extra draft picks is never a bad thing.
Maybe the Bulls slide back in the first round and take another prospect they like. Maybe they collect an additional first-rounder to use as trade bait. And Chicago is still owed a first-round pick from Portland that's lottery-protected through 2028; the Blazers took a major step forward this season, a significant enough one to lock up GM Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups. That pick could convey soon.
Buzelis was projected to be a top-five selection last year. It was a rare scenario that saw him slide to the Bulls at No. 11. Unless that happens again this year and someone like Maluach drops out of the top 10, it would be a wise move to collect more assets rather than force a fit. Chicago is not one prospect away from being a championship contender.