There were signs and whispers that the Chicago Bulls were ready to undergo a rebuild. The franchise traded Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for 22-year-old Josh Giddey. It helped DeMar DeRozan move on to the Sacramento Kings.
But then, as the Bulls hovered around the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference (again) and the calendar turned to 2025, things became muddled (again). Zach LaVine was having an All-Star-caliber season. Nikola Vucevic was posting the most efficient shooting stats of his career.
Even Lonzo Ball returned and has been healthy and productive for nearly the entire season.
Instead of the rebuild that seemed like such a sure thing in the summer, questions were raised about whether Chicago would simply hold onto its productive veterans and make another run at the postseason.
But all that changed on Feb. 2 when the Bulls sent Zach LaVine to the Kings in a three-team deal that netted Chicago Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter and, most critically, a first-round pick that it had, until then, owed to the San Antonio Spurs.
Getting that pick back means Chicago is completely stocked with its own first-rounders and the franchise's asset cupboard is still relatively loaded.
Chicago Bulls updated draft picks after Zach LaVine trade
After the LaVine trade and the return of that crucial selection, here's a list of the Bulls' first-round draft picks moving forward:
- 2025 first-round pick (own)
- 2025 first-round pick (via POR, protected 1-14 in 2025, 1-14 in 2026, 1-14 in 2027 and 1-14 in 2028. If not conveyed by 2028, CHI receives POR second-round selection)
- 2026 first-round pick (own)
- 2027 first-round pick (own)
- 2028 first-round pick (own)
- 2029 first-round pick (own)
- 2030 first-round pick (own)
- 2031 first-round pick (own)
The Bulls also have second-round picks with various protections in 2025, 2028, 2029, 2030 and 2031.
The Trail Blazers have won eight of their last 10 games as of Feb. 4, which is good news for the Bulls on multiple fronts.
Both teams now have identical 21-29 records, meaning Chicago has jumped Portland and moved to eighth in the draft lottery odds; and if the Blazers finish outside the lottery anytime between 2025 and 2028, the Bulls will land an extra first-round pick.
The better Portland gets and the sooner it happens, which appears to be right now, the more draft ammunition Chicago will have.