Seven NBA teams are poised to select multiple prospects in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. The Chicago Bulls are, unfortunately, not one of the lucky seven. The Bulls will be selecting a prospect 12th on day one and 45th on day two of the inaugural two-night NBA Draft.
Yet, there are numerous avenues to add multiple draft picks. The Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, and Oklahoma City Thunder are all a part of the lucky seven who have been said to be interested in adding a late-lottery pick by packaging draft capital.
Several teams make for worthy draft day trade partners
Brooklyn owns the eighth, 19th, 26th, and 27th selections; Orlando the 16th and 25th, and Oklahoma City the 15th and 24th. Armed with four first-rounders, the Nets must fill their rosters with a plethora of players this offseason. Brooklyn has merely two players under guaranteed contracts heading into next season. Still, with four draft picks in the first round alone, the Nets could package at least two picks to move up.
Orlando is in a different position than Brooklyn, coming off an abbreviated postseason run. The Magic's core is built, yet the edges are rough. Still, the Magic have eight players under contract with seven team options, most of which are likely to be picked up. Therefore, packaging the 16th and 25th selections to move into the lottery isn't unexpected.
Lastly, like the Magic, the Thunder's 2025-26 roster is just about finalized. Oklahoma City has nine players under guaranteed contracts and five team options. Brimming with young talent, amid an NBA Finals appearance, the Thunder don't have room for two more (not counting their second-round pick) rookies. Thus, it's almost a certainty that Oklahoma City will move up in the draft.
All signs point to the Chicago Bulls rebuffing draft-day trade inquiries
As for the Bulls, a team lacking talent, adding multiple first-rounders is intriguing. However, it appears Chicago is content with selecting a prospect 12th overall. In an appearance on The Chicago Lead, Bulls' Insider K.C. Johnson remarked, "I have not heard much talk about trading up or down, so I think they will be taking the 12th selection."
1️⃣2️⃣ days until the 2025 NBA Draft!
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) June 13, 2025
Who do the Bulls like? Are they going to stay at No. 12? 👀@KCJHoop gave us the latest on The Chicago Lead: pic.twitter.com/UQ2bjrMaep
Johnson's assertion aligns with the Bulls' interviews and workouts. Amid the NBA Draft Combine, coincidentally held in Chicago, the Bulls met with Asa Newell, Collin Murray-Boyles, Liam McNeeley, Thomas Sorber, and Tre Johnson. At a later date, the Bulls met with and worked out North Carolina's Drake Powell.
Most of, if not all, the aforementioned players are projected to be drafted in the 10-to-20 range. Johnson will most likely go from 5-to-10, while McNeeley and Powell's ranges are all over the board. Still, it's worth pointing out the Bulls have zeroed in on projected mid-first-round prospects. Perhaps the discourse would be different if the Bulls met with mid-to-late first-round prospects such as Adou Thiero, Cedric Coward, Joan Beringer, Noah Penda, Rasheer Fleming, and/or Will Riley.