You can’t rule out anything when it comes to the Chicago Bulls and the 2024 NBA Draft.
They own the 11th pick in the draft and could just use it to take the best player available, as the Bulls do need an influx of high-end young talent. And in this wide-open draft, the Bulls could end up having the best player fall into their laps outside of the top 10.
The Bulls could also reach for fit and need by choosing a player who is ready to help them now, a strategy I expect them to employ if they run it back with most of the same roster.
There is also a possibility that the Bulls trade up, back or even out of the draft if the right offer presents itself.
There was speculation in a recent report that Chicago may be looking to change the course of the franchise by moving up in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Chicago Bulls draft: Hometown prospect may be worth moving up to get
In a recent list of his top-100 prospects, Jonathan Givony of ESPN (subscription) speculated that the Bulls could try to trade up to get Matas Buzelis, who grew up in Chicago and has ties to Bulls’ team president Arturas Karnisovas:
"Sources say Buzelis hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, watched him work out privately in Los Angeles early in the pre-draft process. Chicago has shown a willingness to explore moving up in the draft for the right price. The Bulls Lithuanian president, Arturas Karnisovas, has extensive knowledge of Buzelis, who is also Lithuanian. "
Buzelis has high-end athleticism as a 6-foot-10 wing who can make an impact with or without the ball. His long-range shot needs work, but he has all of the tools to be a two-way wing in the NBA.
Buzelis is expected to be drafted in the top 5-6, so the Chicago Bulls would have to trade up with one of those teams to get him. Here are three possible trades that could help Chicago land their dream prospect.
Chicago Bulls trade the 11th pick and Nikola Vucevic to the Charlotte Hornets for the 6th pick
This would all depend on how the Hornets view Vucevic, a guy the Bulls are actively trying to trade according to reports.
In this trade, the Bulls send Vucevic and the 11th pick to Charlotte to move up five spots and draft Buzelis, assuming he is still there.
There has been widespread belief that Buzelis will not fall past the Pistons, but they have a million needs and a new team president, so anything is on the table in Detroit.
The Hornets need veteran depth at center, where they really only have the oft-injured Mark Williams and backup Nick Richards. Vucevic would give them a solid scoring/rebounding option who can spread the floor and would be a nice complement to the two young shot blockers they have in Williams and Richards.
The Hornets stay in the lottery and have plenty of young talent anyway, so they could just draft for need with the 11th pick and take a guy like Dalton Knecht. You could argue that the combination of Vucevic and the 11th pick would be more valuable to them than whoever they would take with the 6th pick.
The Bulls get off Vucevic’s two years (they may have to cough up more in this deal) and move up five spots to take Buzelis, getting the higher end prospect with connections to the city, but leaving a big hole at center. But they’d now have some cap space to fill it, so can solve two problems with this trade.
Chicago Bulls trade Zach LaVine and the 11th pick to the Detroit Pistons for the 5th pick
It’s unlikely that Buzelis falls past the Pistons, so if the Bulls really want to trade up to get him, Detroit and San Antonio are the likely teams they’d have to deal with.
The Pistons were rumored to be after LaVine but balked at the price at the trade deadline. What if they could get him just by moving back six spots in the draft?
This would kill two birds with one stone for the Bulls, who get off of LaVine’s debilitating contract and get to move up in the draft.
The big question is why the Pistons would give up this much for LaVine given that his market has been less than robust and recent rumors suggest the Bulls may have to pay just to get rid of him.
In other words, this may not be enough even though LaVine is very good when healthy, showing just how awful his contract truly is.
Detroit wants to make a splash but still add a young player. This trade would allow them to do both by getting a high-end shotmaker to put around Cade Cunningham while still leaving them with the 11th pick, which they could use to take a guy like Knecht or more of a project like Cody Williams or Ron Holland.
Would moving up just six spots be enough to justify giving away LaVine?
Chicago Bulls sign-and-trade Patrick Williams and the 11th pick to the San Antonio Spurs for the 4th pick
This one seems the least likely to happen, as the Spurs already have two picks in the lottery, so may be happy just staying where they are.
In this trade, the Bulls sign-and-trade Patrick Williams and throw in the 11th pick to the Spurs to move up seven spots and draft Buzelis.
Do the Spurs view Williams as a player who would be worth it? They are far more likely to just take the two players they think best fit Victor Wembanyama, but Williams could be one of those guys as a defensive wing who can shoot the 3-ball.
This would allow the Spurs to get a high upside player with a little more experience to go along with whoever they take with the 8th and then 11th picks.
Williams may not be enough to move up this much, so the Bulls would either have to sweeten the pot or throw in a different player, perhaps Alex Caruso, instead of Williams.
Both the Spurs and Pistons have a lot of young players already and may look for a more established guy and won’t mind moving back in the draft to do it. If the Bulls really want Buzelis, it’s likely they’d have to cut a deal with one of these two teams.