At first glance, it doesn’t appear that the Chicago Bulls are in a great position in the 2024 NBA Draft.
With the 11th pick in a draft most scouts have characterized as “weak,” the Bulls' chances of landing an elite talent outside of the top-10 are even lower than normal and it’s a crapshoot under the best of circumstances.
But the perception and uncertainty of this draft could end up working in the Bulls’ favor.
In an unknown draft, a top prospect could fall to the Chicago Bulls
Without any perceived guaranteed star power at the top of the draft, we may see more teams focus on need instead of ceiling.
In a more heralded draft, bad teams like the Hornets and Pistons would likely just take whoever they thought was the best player available, but with less certainty about who those players are, could instead draft players on the same tier who plug needs.
That could lead to one of the better prospects falling, which is what happens in the latest Mock Draft from Bleacher Report.
They have the Bulls selecting Rob Dillingham with the 11th pick, a player who has been routinely mocked inside of the top-10 for months.
He’s considered one of the best guards in this draft, an electric scorer who can get his own shots and is lights out from long range, hitting 44 percent of his 3-point shots at Kentucky.
The teams sitting at 5-10 (Pistons, Hornets, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Grizzlies and Jazz) are not in dire need of a guard assuming San Antonio grabs one with the 4th pick. If Dillingham falls past the Spurs, there is a good chance he’ll be there when the Bulls pick, which would give them options.
The Chicago Bulls could just draft Rob Dillingham
If Dillingham does fall, and the Bulls think he is the best player available, then there is an argument they should just take him.
Chicago needs elite young talent to build around and Dillingham could end up being the best guard in this draft. The Bulls aren’t in particular need of a smaller combo guard who hasn’t shown a ton of playmaking ability yet, as they already have a good one in Coby White.
But if you believe in Dillingham’s playmaking coming around, then he and White could be a nice long-term fit, though it would leave the Bulls with a smaller backcourt that would have limitations defensively.
For the short term, Dillingham could be a scoring option off the bench if the Bulls can’t shift Zach LaVine.
If the Bulls think the problems with fit outweigh the benefits, then Dillingham falling to them could open other moves.
The Chicago Bulls could trade back
If Dillingham were to drop, teams lower in the lottery and outside may look to trade up if they need a guard or view him as a value.
The Kings, Heat, 76ers, Lakers and Magic are all teams that could use someone of Dillingham’s profile. The Kings are likely to lose Malik Monk and Dillingham could be an instant replacement.
The Heat need more scoring punch off their bench, same for the 76ers, who will be looking for players who can help them now, even in a bench role. Ditto for the Lakers, and the Magic are desperate for 3-point shooting, a niche Dillingham could fill right away.
The question is what the Bulls might be able to extract from one of these teams if they did try to move up. A future pick? A project player? Could it be folded into a bigger trade?
All of these things would require Arturas Karnisovas to take action, something he’s been reluctant to do in recent years, but if Dillingham drops, the Bulls will have options.