(670 The Score) The Bulls on Thursday evening landed the rights to Australian forward Lachlan Olbrich, the 55th overall pick in the second round of the NBA Draft. The Lakers made the selection on behalf of the Bulls after the teams agreed to a trade in principle earlier in the day.
The 21-year-old Olbrich is listed at 6-foot-10 and 236 pounds. He measured 6-foot-8 3/4 inches without shoes at the NBA Draft Combine. He helped lead the Illawarra Hawks to an NBL championship this past season in Australia.
Olbrich will be on a two-way contract for the Bulls, draft expert Jonathan Givony said on the ESPN broadcast. That news came as no surprise, given that the Bulls already have 13 roster spots accounted for and intend to re-sign guard Josh Giddey in restricted free agency. That leaves just one standard contract slot for them to use unless they make unbalanced trades in which they send out more players than they receive.
After taking French forward Noa Essengue at No. 12 overall in the first round Wednesday, the Bulls entered Thursday with the 45th overall pick but traded it to the Lakers for the 55th overall pick and cash considerations.
Olbrich's strengths are his strength, toughness and passing, while he needs to work on his shooting range and defense, according to the ESPN broadcast. He previously played one collegiate season in America, averaging 11.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for UC Riverside in 2022-’23 before returning to play in Australia.
NBA teams get three two-way contract slots. Players on such contracts can play in up to 50 regular-season games but aren’t eligible for the playoffs unless their deal gets converted into a standard contract.
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.