Ranking the Most Likely Pick for the Bulls After Their Draft Lottery Luck

Do you think Bryson Graham slept with a ping pong ball under his pillow on Saturday night?

The Chicago Bulls' new executive vice president of basketball operations started his tenure with some incredible lottery luck. Despite holding only a 20.3 percent chance, the organization jumped into the Top 4 of the 2026 NBA Draft. Graham will now go into his first offseason as the man in charge with two Top 15 picks and more projected cap space than any team in the league.

Every move he makes along the way is going to hold significant value. However, it feels safe to say none will be more important than what happens with his new No. 4 overall pick. This draft is loaded at the top with four players who are considered potential franchise-changing talents. So, who will be there when the Bulls are on the clock?

Let's give a brief rundown of the four high-upside youngsters while also ranking the likelihood that they end up in Chicago.

1. Caleb Wilson – UNC

STATS: 19.8 PTS (57.8%) , 9.4 REB, 2.7 AST, 1.5 STL, 1.4 BLK

The mock draft tsunami hit the internet this morning. The majority of those early predictions are almost surely going to have Caleb Wilson going to the Chicago Bulls at No. 4. And it's hard to disagree.

While this draft has long been seen as a four-player race, Wilson has pretty consistently been viewed as fourth in line. He is considerably less polished than the other three players and still has some pretty significant question marks around his jumper and ability to create off the bounce. Still, the Bulls would be downright foolish to pass him up.

It's not an understatement to call Wilson one of the most athletic prospects in years. The six-foot-ten big man is a high-flying tornado. Does that mean he can be a bit chaotic at times? Sure, but that almost plays to his benefit. Opponents looked utterly lost at times trying to slow him down, as he plays with a higher motor than anyone in this class. Even if Wilson needs time to adjust to the skill level of the NBA game, he will be able to make an impact immediately because of his ability to always make the hustle plays.

With that said, once the game does slow down for Wilson, he could quickly enter the All-Star conversation. There is a world where he becomes one of the most devastating drivers in the NBA with his combination of verticality and touch. Will he need to get stronger? Absolutely, but the wiggle he has to his game is also part of what makes him such a distinctive talent. He can squeeze past defenders along the baseline to get into the paint and adjust mid-air to finish an absurd dunk.

You're going to repeatedly hear people bring up Shawn Kemp and even Kevin Garnett when discussing Wilson's upside. Heck, don't even be surprised if the name Giannis Antetokounmpo is thrown out. As absurd as that all sounds, it's not hard to see the shades when watching Wilson on the floor. He is that intimidating of an athlete and two-way prospect.

For what it's worth, I kind of like the young Chris Bosh comparison the most. It's unclear right now if Wilson will have a steady long-range jumper, but he can still be a remarkably effective off-ball scorer who loads up at the free throw line. He took 7.5 a game with the Tar Heels this past season! We've also seen him show some flashes of being able to hit some nice turnaround mid-range jumpers, as he can shoot over nearly anyone with his towering frame.

Are we sure he will be there at No. 4? Not at all. Wilson is the exact kind of player who is likely to impress at the combine and in individual workouts. This is why I could see the Grizzlies choosing to take a swing on his upside over arguably the safest pick of the Top 4.

Speaking of which ...

2. Cameron Boozer

STATS: 22.5 PTS (55.6 FG%, 39.1 3PT%), 10.2 REB, 4.1 AST, 1.4 STL

Could Cameron Boozer become the boring pick and fall into the Chicago Bulls' lap?

Most teams at the top of the draft end up leaning on sheer upside, and there is a case to make that Boozer's is the lowest. He is the least explosive of the three players and has a bit of an odd body type and a below-the-rim play style. The forward is ridiculously strong with a 250-pound frame, blending that physicality with some incredibly skillful footwork and touch inside.

Even more intriguing, Boozer is very capable of spreading the floor and splashing catch-and-shoot threes. He shot nearly 40.0 percent from distance with Duke, positioning himself well with off-ball movement and showing some very mature shot selection.

The same word can be used to describe his passing. What really makes Boozer feel like someone who could be a No. 1 is his ability to serve as a lead creator. You can feel comfortable playing through the big man both at the top of the key and in the middle of the floor. He just doesn't make a lot of mistakes with the ball in his hands, even if he isn't the flashiest of ball-handlers.

Defensively, Boozer has the IQ and fight to switch onto smaller players, as well as the stout size to handle more traditional bigs. Is he a future All-Defensive Team guy? Probably not, but he shouldn't be someone you worry about having on the floor.

At the end of the day, Boozer is a guy who knows how to win basketball games. He can play almost any role a team needs and feels like the safest bet of the four to have a long and fruitful NBA career. For what it's worth, I see an even more offensively aggressive Al Horford with Boozer. And I think we can all agree that this would be an extremely productive player to start a rebuild with.

3. Darryn Peterson

STATS: 20.2 PTS (43.8 FG%, 38.2%), 4.2 REB, 1.6 AST, 1.4 STL

Considering the drama-filled year Darryn Peterson just had at Kansas, some might argue that he's more likely to face a slide on draft night. But the guard's pedigree suggests otherwise.

Heading into this 2026 campaign, Petereson was viewed as the consensus No. 1 pick in this June's draft. He was a ridiculously special high school hooper who had an offensive arsenal that mimicked some of the best guard prospects of the last several decades. Not only was he a blazing fast ball-handler who could slice right through the defense, but he was a crafty jump shooter who would repeatedly sink contested looks.

Speaking of which, for all the concern expressed about Peterson over the last handful of months, you would think his game left something to be desired with the Jayhawks. That's not really the case. When Peterson did play, he looked about as good as advertised. He averaged 20.2 points with 5.5 free throws per game and a 38.2 percent clip from downtown. If anything, he showed more of his potential by becoming a more consistent off-ball threat.

The missed games are obviously a concern, even if Peterson recently revealed a root cause. The same can be said about his approach on certain nights. Is it possible he was just looking out for his body and had eyes on the NBA? Absolutely, but it's obviously not something teams love to see when pulling up the film, particularly on the defensive end. Peterson has the tools to be a lockdown guard, but many of those tools were kept in the bag.

Regardless, when essentially everything comes this easily for a prospect, it can be nearly impossible to pass up. The Jazz could also sure use a future guard to add to their trio of Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen, and Ace Bailey. If Peterson somehow did become the odd man out, however, the Bulls should feel like they got the biggest steal of the draft.

4. AJ Dybantsa

STATS: 25.5 PTS (51.0 FG%, 33.1 3PT%), 6.8 REB, 3.7 AST, 1.1 STL

Do really need to elaborate much on this one?

BYU's AJ Dybantsa has become the clear favorite to go No. 1 overall. He is essentially built in a lab to be a top-tier NBA wing, possessing a ridiculously efficient three-level scoring game. On top of that, he has an absurdly springy six-foot-nine frame that he uses to repeatedly embarrass both smaller and bigger defenders alike.

Chicago's only hope of landing the most well-rounded prospect next month would be striking a deal with the Wizards. Could they make that happen by putting No. 15 on the table? Maybe. If one thing is for sure, though, Dybantsa does fit the SLAP model that new exec Bryson Grahm brought up last week!

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