Among many other things, the Chicago Bulls could sorely use some more draft picks. And anyone, at any position, age, or size, with any level of experience, who can play defense would be nice too. A trade down in the first round of this summer's NBA Draft could accomplish both if Chicago can land Arkansas wing Adou Thiero.
The Bulls finished the 2024-25 regular season sixth in the league in scoring, fifth in assists, second in pace and topped the NBA in total number of possessions. Head coach Billy Donovan's new run-and-gun system suited his team's roster and helped the Bulls finish the year 15-5.
On the flip side, only the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz allowed more points per game to their opponents.
Chicago owns all of its own first-round picks, including this year's, which is projected to land toward the back of the lottery at No. 12. Any franchise undergoing a roster retooling like the Bulls, though, needs as many draft assets as it can get. And in Chicago's case, as much defense as it can get.
Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas could accomplish both with one move.
The Bulls could expedite their rebuild with more draft picks
Front office and draft gurus Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo of ESPN detailed the future draft pick situation of all 30 NBA teams and stuck the Bulls at 17th behind teams with seemingly long playoff futures ahead of them, such as the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons.
That's the situation Karnisovas has put the franchise in with three straight Play-In Tournament berths but zero playoff appearances—picks good enough to be lottery selections but not good enough to give Chicago a chance near the top.
As Woo notes, that pressures the Bulls into hitting on all their first-round picks with little margin for error.
If Chicago had more selections, it would have more bites at the apple so to speak.
Adou Thiero is an ideal prospect for the Bulls in the 2025 NBA Draft
If a defensive-minded center like Khaman Maluach is on the board when Chicago's pick comes up, someone from the front office should sprint to the podium to grab the 7-foot-2, 250-pound big man. If he's not, the smart play would be to trade down.
In that scenario, the Bulls could add more picks and land another potentially game-changing defender in Arkansas' Adou Thiero.
Thiero has an NBA-ready body at 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds and has the requisite athleticism and explosiveness to go along with it. His 2024-25 season ended early due to injury, but the upside of someone with the 20-year-old's measurables and mindset points to an elite professional defender.
Thiero averaged 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in 27 games during his junior year under coach John Calipari. He racked up 2.3 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game as the Razorbacks' most talented and versatile defender. His size, strength, 7-foot wingspan and motor make him a menace on that end of the floor. Those same skills make him a terror in transition.
The Pennsylvania native struggles with his outside shot. During his three collegiate seasons, he only hit 28.4 percent from deep and took just 1.0 threes per game. But his quickness and explosion at the rim make him an intense slasher, whether off the dribble or on cuts. He's a willing ball mover and above-average playmaker, which takes some of the risk off the table when projecting his offense.
But this looks exactly like something that would fit snugly into the Bulls' up-tempo, transition game:
Putting Thiero's speed and unselfishness on a fastbreak next to Josh Giddey, Coby White and Matas Buzelis would make Dononan's run-and-gun game even more dangerous, and someone with Thiero's profile as an elite defender who could guard multiple positions would be welcome in the same setup. It doesn't take a ton of squinting to see someone who could fit an Aaron Gordon-type role in Chicago.
Trading back and grabbing more draft picks while filling a major need with someone like Thiero would be a win-win for Karnisovas and the Bulls.