Owners of two first-round picks (No. 4 and No. 15) in the upcoming NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls are primed to add at least one franchise cornerstone.
Caleb Wilson, an athletic 6-foot-11 forward with immense upside, has frequently been projected as the Bulls‘ top choice with the fourth overall pick.
Although the Bulls are expected to retain the No. 4 overall pick, the possibility of moving up from No. 15 is “gaining momentum,” writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, citing a source.
Bryson Graham and the Bulls have hosted a slew of top guards for pre-draft workouts, including Darius Acuff, Keaton Wagler and Kingston Flemings. Regarding their desire to move up in the draft, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported that rival execs believe the Bulls are eyeing the Illinois standout Keaton Wagler.
The Illinois guard is considered likely to come off the board in the 5-9 range. However, with plenty of second-round picks to offer up, the Bulls could swing a trade to move back into the lottery.
Bulls Considering Trading Up For Illinois Star
For a Bulls team without a true No. 1 scoring option, Keaton Wagler would be a home run draft choice.
Wagler stands at a lean 6-foot-6, and averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists. His major strengths include his size, craftiness, shooting, and play-making.
During his lone season at Illinois, the talented freshman led the team to the Final Four.
College basketball analyst Derek Parker of Sports Illustrated described Wagler’s strengths as follows:
“Wagler’s plus positional size at 6-foot-6 is a real game-changer. Functioning as the catalyst for his production across the board. Scoring on mismatches, shooting over defenders, rebounding the ball well at over five per game, seeing over the defense while passing and more. There’s no official measurement for his wingspan. Though he is seemingly working with a plus wingspan, which would account for his ridiculous production.”
After trading away former lottery pick Coby White, the Bulls could use another guard with elite scoring upside. Plus, with Wagler being nearly five inches taller than White, he offers more defensive appeal, too.
Bulls Considering Moving Up a Few Draft Slots
Longtime Bulls beat reporter Joe Cowley recently commented on a potential draft day trade for Chicago during an episode of the Bulls REKAP podcast. He advised that fans temper expectations on a big jump up the draft board. However, that doesn’t mean he fully shut down the move.
“From what I’ve been told, the only way they would move up from this 15th pick is a spot or two,” Cowley said. “Whether it’s Charlotte or Miami. Whoever it is in that 13/14 range. It would be just, ‘hey, we really like this guy. And we know you like Yaxel or Mara, and we won’t pick them. Let’s flip. We’ll give you two seconds.’ It would be small. It would be a small jump.”
Based on Cowley’s assessment, landing Wagler may be a long shot. Still, with Bryson Graham at the helm, expect Chicago to leave no stone unturned.
The two-day NBA Draft will commence June 23 and 24. The event will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Chicago is the only current team with two picks in the Top 15.
Bulls Mulling Trading Up in NBA Draft For Illinois Star: Report