Landing Caleb Wilson and Daily Swain in the 2026 NBA Draft was a beautiful start toward building a title contender. The obvious next step for the Chicago Bulls is to acquire Peyton Watson.
Wilson, the No. 4 pick in this year's draft, is a 6-foot-10 explosive ball of chaos with elite two-way potential. Swain is a 6-8 wing with the skill set to attack the basket and make plays on offense while defending multiple positions on defense.
But neither player is a 3-point threat; at least not yet. The newly acquired Nic Claxton isn't a marksman either.
Bulls executive VP of basketball operations Bryson Graham rightfully acknowledged that his team is short on shooters.
Watson would help fix that problem, but he'd do a lot more for Chicago than just space the floor.
Signing Peyton Watson in free agency is a logical next step for Bulls
Graham's SLAP philosophy is well-known at this point. The 39-year-old wants to build a roster around players with size, length, athleticism and physicality. Watson fits that archetype.
The current Denver Nuggets swing man has that size and length at 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds with a 7-foot-1 wingspan. He's a fluid mover with a quick first step who plays above the rim. His combination of athleticism and length has always made his potential as an elite defender quite tantalizing.
The concern with Watson heading into the 2022 draft was his lack of an offensive skill set. He wasn't a great shooter at UCLA, and even through his first three NBA seasons, he couldn't harness his physical gifts to become a consistent scorer.
That changed last year.
Watson bumped up his scoring average from 8.1 points in 2024-25 to 14.6 points. He shot 35.3 percent from three on 2.0 attempts per game two years ago and hit 41.1 percent of his 3.6 attempts last season.
He started 40 games and averaged 29.6 minutes in 2025-26 compared to 18 starts and 24.4 minutes the year prior, all while developing into a high-level point-of-attack defender.
At just 23-years-old, Watson became of the NBA's top emerging 3-and-D wings.
Watson is available as a restricted free agent
Watson's season-ending hamstring injury did nothing to diminish his value on the free agent market this summer.
The Nuggets, understandably, are attempting to clear cap space to sign him to a long-term deal, but at the moment, they don't have the funds.
Even after acquiring Claxton, the Bulls do.
Watson's status as a restricted free agent complicates things a bit. Chicago can offer him a lucrative new contract, but Denver has the right to match it. If they don't have the money, though, that option is obviously out the window.
Finding a sign-and-trade agreement is a possibility, and if that's ultimately the best option, the Bulls shouldn't balk at giving up a few minor assets.
Adding Watson to the core of Wilson, Swain, Claxton, Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis is the ideal next move for Graham on his way to building a championship contender in Chicago.
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