Which Top NBA Draft Prospects Confirmed They Met with the Chicago Bulls?

It wasn't easy to navigate Ballroom G at the Marriott Marquis Chicago on Wednesday afternoon. Less than 24 hours after the NBA's top prospects ran through drills at the combine, those same players were stationed around the room to speak with media members from all over the country.

While the players fielded a wide range of questions, they all were surely asked the same thing at one point or another: Who did you interview with? On the one hand, the answer can be telling, specifically when it's tied to some additional comments about how that interview went. On the other hand, the majority of prospects are bound to meet with the majority of teams at one point or another. And it's not like any draftee will do anything other than rave about every organization he spoke with. Their agents have taught them better than that!

Nevertheless, I made my rounds on Wednesday to find out which top players had already met with new Chicago Bulls executive Bryson Graham. A few were surprisingly not on the list, but implied that a meeting was on the schedule later this week (Chris Cenac Jr. being one). Meanwhile, plenty of others confirmed that they already got their interview with Chicago out of the way, including each of the players projected to go high in the first round.

Top Prospects Who Have Met with the Bulls

– AJ Dybantsa
– Darryn Peterson
– Cameron Boozer
– Caleb Wilson
– Darius Acuff Jr.
– Nate Ament
– Jayden Quaintance
– Labaron Philon Jr.

Keep in mind, this isn't even close to a final list. A handful of other players almost surely entered Wednesday having met with the Bulls. Still, this initial list is a good reminder of how big a participant the Bulls will be in the first round of next month's draft. Not only do they have every reason to speak with the draft's top prospects thanks to their lottery luck, but they also need to be carefully evaluating that second tier of talent thanks to their No. 15 selection.

Speaking of which, those final three players listed above are each projected in that late-lottery range. Nate Ament is the most likely to be off the board by the time the Bulls are on the clock a second time, but you can never say never on draft night. With that in mind, we also can't rule out the possibility of a trade-up for Graham. If he's really locked into someone who is expected to go a few picks higher, might he be able to convince someone to swap spots for No. 15 and No. 38?

Anyhow, the eight players named above were all impressive in their own right. But it did feel fitting that the two most likely to end up with the Bulls were particularly complimentary of the city. Boozer discussed how nice it would be to end up playing for the same franchise his father suited up for. He also reminisced about going to Blackhawks games as a kid. Boozer said he and his brother even tried to play the sport for a few years because of that experience.

Wilson was checking boxes all weekend. He spoke about trying to embrace Michael Jordan's mentality in an ESPN interview before mentioning that The Last Dance taught him more about the Bulls franchise. Wilson also gave fans a little more insight into his meeting with Bryson Graham, sharing that he is well aware of the SLAP principle. When asked afterward whether he fit the archetype, Wilson confidently said yes.

That has to be music to Graham's ears!

Once again, this is by no means a complete list of names. These interviews also can not be considered the end-all, be-all, as individual workouts are only weeks away. The impression that each player makes at the Advocate Center during their visit will certainly hold more weight.

At the same time, it never hurts to nail your first introduction, specifically with a franchise that has a lot of power in the first round! The conversations that were had this week will hold some weight in the decision-making process, and there is a very real possibility that more than one of the players named above will end up wearing red next season.

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