Bulls draft wins, then stumble in second round

Bulls draft – The Bulls came away with a Round 1 payoff, but their second-round moves included a selection they flipped quickly and a cash trade that left some questions—especially as free agency approaches with the team holding $31 million.

The Bulls didn’t walk out of the NBA Draft empty-handed. In fact, Bryson Graham earned a quick reason to smile after the first round—Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Dailyn Swain at No. 15—exactly the kind of swing that can change how a roster looks before summer even starts.

Then the draft moved into the place where decisions feel quieter but can linger longer: the second round.

Graham selected Purdue guard Braden Smith 38th overall. Within the draft’s shuffle, the pick didn’t stay in Chicago—Smith was traded to the Pacers for guard Kam Jones. Earlier, the Bulls had also traded the 56th overall pick to the Lakers for cash considerations.

It wasn’t a total collapse. Free agency tips off in less than a week, and the Bulls are entering that stretch with $31 million. Still, the moves raised the kind of practical questions that show up when a team has a chance to be precise and instead chooses speed or flexibility.

Could there have been an opening to trade both second-rounders—and even a sweetener future second-rounder—to move up for shooters Richie Saunders. Isaiah Evans or Meleek Thomas?. Maybe not. Maybe Graham saw something in Kam Jones that fit better than what was available later. Or maybe the later picks simply didn’t match what the Bulls wanted, and the financial opportunity mattered.

Either way, the Bulls have a path forward. Coming out of any draft with a player who has the ceiling of a franchise game-changer. plus another pick who could settle into a solid starter role. is hard to dismiss as anything other than a win. But the second-round sequence left a different kind of mark—less about optimism. more about doubt that can’t be ignored when the margins are thin.

The draft, as ever, also served up plenty of other teams walking out with their own versions of clarity.

Memphis and a new look felt like the Grizzlies came out of the swamp. Cameron Boozer went No. 3, and Karim Lopez landed at No. 21. Then came Wednesday’s deal: the Grizzlies landed grindy Isaiah Stewart in a trade with the Pistons.

Oklahoma City and San Antonio played the chess-game all night. The Thunder selected 7-3 Aday Mara to counter San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, but the Spurs answered with size of their own by adding athletic, shot-blocking big Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr.

In Dallas, Dusty May’s influence showed quickly after being given the Mavericks job Monday. Twenty-four hours later, the Mavs reunited Morez Johnson Jr. with his college coach. Johnson is described as a relentless physical presence who can team perfectly with Cooper Flagg.

Sacramento’s choice Darius Acuff Jr. also came with a quiet twist. The Kings wanted the electric scoring point guard, and Acuff wanted the Kings. The Nets passed on Acuff at No. 6, but the best player in the SEC last year found a home as the first key piece in the rebuild.

For Acuff, the timing could matter. The good news for him is that Zach LaVine is in the final year of his deal, and Sacramento is trying to move DeMar DeRozan—meaning the team’s direction could give Acuff space to take over.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, kept working the backcourt. Tyrese Maxey is an All-Star, VJ Edgecombe was a first-team All-Rookie selection, and Labaron Philon Jr. at the 22nd pick was framed as a steal. The larger story is that the 76ers continue moving further away from relying on oft-injured Joel Embiid.

Not every team got the same kind of clean ending.

New Orleans has its own math problems. The Pelicans were still paying for the unprotected first-round pick they handed to the Hawks to move up and grab Derik Queen—especially if No. 8 pick Kingston Flemings ends up being a dude. With one second-round pick, New Orleans used it on guard Jaron Pierre Jr. at No. 58. If they want to escape the mud. the draft’s message was blunt: a major reset has to take place during the free-agent period.

Denver also faces a widening gap. With Nikola Jokic’s team once feeling like a dynasty in the making. the new CBA and apron issues have made the Nuggets an afterthought in Western Conference playoff discussions. Then came the roster economics: with a loaded ’26 draft class, the Nuggets only had second-round assets to cash in. Trevon Brazile could be a nice rotation player someday. but the talent gap is widening. and it isn’t going Denver’s way.

Utah’s situation has the feeling of a fork in the road. Ace Bailey averaged 18.3 points in the last 23 games of the season and started 61 of the 72 games he played in. But that green light might have turned red—or at least yellow—after the Jazz drafted Darryn Peterson at No. 2. Bailey likely will come off the bench unless Peterson can develop into a point guard.

Even Phoenix had to make do. There’s a chance Koa Peat turns into the player he was supposed to be as a freshman for Arizona. but he also considered returning to school another year. He made it into the first round—barely—at No. 30, yet Phoenix did little to improve its life in the Western Conference.

For the Bulls, the final feeling is a mix of satisfaction and unfinished business. The first round gave them reasons to believe. The second round gave them reasons to second-guess—and with free agency about to arrive, those questions won’t be able to wait.

NBA Draft Chicago Bulls Bryson Graham Caleb Wilson Dailyn Swain Braden Smith Kam Jones free agency $31 million NBA news