The Chicago Bulls have made too many mistakes trying to build a contender over the past decade, but a new regime and a lottery miracle have handed them a fresh start. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, who will face off in this year's Western Conference Finals, have handed the Bulls the blueprint to take advantage of it: build organically through the draft.
OKC made an all-time trade to land two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell, Lu Dort, Cason Wallace and others have been draft finds.
Likewise, Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson are among those who have only known San Antonio as their NBA homes.
The Bulls' new executive VP of basketball operations, Bryson Graham, seems prepared to follow that model. Beginning his rebuild with the No. 4 pick in a stacked 2026 NBA Draft is a solid way to start, though there's a long way to go.
But that's how it should be — a long, patient process.
It's just a far cry from what the organization has done recently.
The Chicago Bulls cannot rush another rebuild
Graham's predecessor, Arturas Karnisovas, ruined his tenure almost as soon as it began. Drafting Patrick Williams, ironically with the fourth pick, in 2020, was a mistake, but one he could've made up for.
Instead, Karnisovas acquired Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball only to see that core devolve into a model of NBA mediocrity. He rushed to build a contender and failed.
Now, Graham has to make up for it.
The 39-year-old exec has said and done all the right things so far. He preached patience in his first press conference and acknowledged he has a long rebuild ahead of him. Karnisovas refused even to utter the word "rebuild."
Graham seems to have a plan of attack, but that's the easy part.
The 2026 offseason is a turning point in Chicago
The New Orleans Pelicans acquired a slew of two-way players like Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels during Graham's time in charge of the draft. He called them SLAP (size, length, athleticism, physicality) players. That's how he wants to build his Bulls' roster.
North Carolina's Caleb Wilson would be an ideal cornerstone if he's available with the fourth pick in June.
The Bulls can have up to $60 million in cap space this summer. Splurging for someone like Peyton Watson, a 23-year-old ascending 3-and-D wing who happens to be a restricted free agent, seems like a logical step.
But no matter the decisions he makes, Graham absolutely must get this offseason right if he hopes to replicate what the Thunder and Spurs have done.
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