CHICAGO (670 The Score) – After entering Thursday without a selection in the NBA Draft, the Bulls acquired an early second-rounder.
Chicago acquired the No. 35 overall pick from Washington and used it to select 19-year-old Tennessee forward Julian Phillips. The Bulls agreed to send two future second-round picks to the Wizards to acquire this selection, according to Shams Charania of the Athletic.
"A multi-positional defender," Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said of the 6-foot-8 Phillips. "One of the best athletes in the draft, a 43-inch vertical. He can step in right now, probably can defend on our level. He has a lot of things to obviously improve, but we're looking forward to it. He's very young, and he's very talented."
Phillips averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks in 24.1 minutes across 32 games as a freshman at Tennessee last season. He shot 41.1% overall and 23.9% from 3-point range.
Phillips has a 6-foot-11 1/2 wingspan, and his 43-inch vertical leap was the best mark at the NBA Combine. Bulls general manager Marc Eversley acknowledged that Bulls forward Derrick Jones Jr. recently declining his player option for next season played a factor in the team's choice to add another forward in Phillips.
"DJ, for everything he brought to the court -- the athleticism, the length, his ability to get out and defend multiple positions, Julian fits a lot of those same attributes," Eversley said.
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
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