CHICAGO (104.3 The Score) – The lottery gods shined on new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham and his Bulls on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulls landed the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after receiving the good fortune of the ping-pong balls bouncing their way. Entering with the ninth-best odds in the lottery, the Bulls jumped up five spots in what’s viewed as a great 2026 draft class to land a premium pick that should help jumpstart what figures to be a tedious rebuild.
The Wizards landed the No. 1 pick, followed by the Jazz at No. 2 and the Grizzlies at No. 3. The Bulls held a 4.5% chance of landing the No. 1 pick and a 20.3% chance of moving into the top four.
“We got lucky,” Graham said with a laugh in sharing his initial reaction. “A ton of excitement as you’re watching the draft order go down and when they say the team and it’s not you at that position, you’re just like, ‘Wow, we did it, we jumped into the top four.’ You have literally no control over it, obviously. Just so much excitement, and it’s a great just first step in this entire process here in Chicago.”
Graham felt like he “almost fainted” when he saw NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum reveal the No. 9 overall pick with the Mavericks’ logo on it. The Bulls had been projected to land the No. 9 overall pick had the mathematical odds held to form.
“This is crazy because it’s such a great draft,” Graham said. “There’s a ton of talent. It’s deep. But obviously, there are some names at the top of the draft that you do get excited about. You just want to have a chance.”
While Graham stressed the Bulls will go through a long pre-draft process in evaluating all of the prospects near the top of the board, many talent evaluators believe this class has a clear top four at the moment. BYU forward AJ Dybantsa is the projected No. 1 overall pick, with Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson behind him in some order.
“We’ve got to infuse this team with more talent, more talent,” said Graham, who was hired by the Bulls last Monday. “We’re not where we want to be, obviously, but this is a great step – and not just (No.) 4 but 15 as well and our other two (second-round picks). It’s a good opportunity to layer this.”
In addition to the No. 9 overall pick, the Bulls also own the No. 15 overall pick from the Portland Trail Blazers. That pick was conveyed as part of a 2021 trade between the Bulls, Blazers and Cavaliers in which Chicago sent forward Lauri Markkanen to Cleveland. The Bulls owned the rights to that pick if it fell outside of the lottery this season, and it did so when the Blazers reached the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Chicago also holds the No. 38 and No. 56 overall picks in the second round of the NBA Draft, which will be held June 23-24.
“Whether it’s a 6-4 guard or a 6-11 big man, you just want to take who you believe will have the best career at the end of the day,” Graham said.
“This team is fluid. So trying to find a fit is not the right way to approach it. You want to take the best player.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor and covers the Bulls for 104.3 The Score.
