Is it time for mock drafts already?
It may not even be Valentine’s Day yet, but the Chicago Bulls’ season sure feels over. While the team may not be blatantly throwing in the towel like the Utah Jazz, they tanked the old-fashioned way by sending out nearly half their roster at this year’s trade deadline. Thus far, integrating all their new pieces has been a very painful process. Many of the additions are either still in the developmental phase, coming from a situation where they barely saw minutes, or some combination of both.
The Bulls’ latest loss means they have dropped nine of their last ten games. This has included losing each of their four outing since the February 5 deadline, and three of those losses have come by 16 points or more. Is it possible that the tide turns after the All-Star break? Sure. The return of more familiar players like Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, and Jalen Smith should help stabilize things. But whether or not that leads to many more wins is a fair question.
With that in mind, it sure feels like time to bookmark Tankathon and keep an eye out for the latest mock drafts. Chicago could be in a prime position to receive its highest draft pick since the 2020 NBA Draft, when Patrick Williams came off the board No. 4 overall. The current lottery odds have the team placed 10th in the order, which gives them a 13.9 percent chance at a Top 4 spot.
The Bulls also find themselves just a half-game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks, who still seem destined to push for the postseason. This could lead to them swapping spots sooner than later and bumping their chance at a Top 4 selection to as high as 20.3 percent. Their shot at No. 1 would improve to 4.5 percent.
To be sure, lottery luck is hard to bank on. If the Bulls really wanted to secure a top spot in this highly anticipated draft, they should have likely started the process long ago. At the same time, the Bulls are no strangers to seeing the odds fall in their favor (1.7 percent odds for Derrick Rose in 2008), and we have also watched multiple highly anticipated teams make a huge jump up in recent years (Dallas, Atlanta). So, who’s to say lightning can’t strike the franchise twice?
Not this latest mock draft!
Ricky O’Donnell of SBNation released one of his first mock drafts of the season on Thursday, which I highly encourage anyone to read here. Doing a simulation of the lottery with Chicago in their current spot at 10, the Bulls leaped all the way into the No. 4 spot. While this may mean they missed out on top names like Daryyn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and AJ Dybantsa, it did give them a chance to grab a player who has jumped up many boards this season.
Caleb Wilson Would Be a Perfect Fit for the Bulls
Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) dunks against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Caleb Wilson sure feels like a dream target for the Chicago Bulls.
A team that has long lacked reliable size and defense in the frontcourt, Wilson would immediately solve the problem. The forward is a six-foot-ten forward with a non-stop supply of energy. He tries to dunk nearly everything in sight and has both the length and mobility to guard practically any position on the floor.
While he entered his first season at UNC as a potential lottery pick, Wilson still found a way to exceed expectations. The forward is averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. The high-flyer is also shooting a ridiculous 61.2 percent from the field.
To be clear, Wilson’s scoring upside remains up for debate. He is not a dependable stretch big at this point in his career, and he doesn’t possess the kind of ball-handling we see from another six-foot-ten forward in Matas Buzelis. However, when we think about potential bigs to throw alongside Josh Giddey, Wilson is a tantalizing choice. The two could create a lethal pick-and-roll combination, while Wilson also has the athleticism to keep up in the open floor.
Wilson has also shown flashes of a smooth jumper. He is particularly good in the mid-range, splashing some impressive turnaround jumpers over small defenders. Nevertheless, the reason Wilson is moving up the ranks at an increasing rate is because of his defensive versatility and an innate ability to make the hustle plays.
Now, could you make the argument that developing Matas Buzelis, Noa Essengue, and Caleb Wilson at the same time would be a challenge? Perhaps. But all three will have entered the NBA as very different players. Buzelis has shown this season that he likely belongs at the three, while Wilson is almost surely best suited as a more off-ball option at the four or five. As for Essengue, he might as well be something in between.
The best response to that argument, though, would be that the Bulls are … well … the Bulls. This is not the kind of organization that should be worrying about fit. If they were lucky enough to find their way into the No. 4 spot in this upcoming draft, Wilson would be the no-brainer pick (again, assuming Peterson, Dybantsa, and Boozer are off the board).
Having said all of that, the last thing we should note is that news broke on Thursday that Wilson fractured his left hand. He is now sidelined indefinitely for UNC, which is a brutal blow considering March Madness is right around the corner. Nevertheless, the chance of this hurting his draft stock sure feels low after the 24-game sample size he has put together.