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Reacting to a Blackhawks trade & the Bulls' draft | Chicago Sports Tonight
Tuesday was a busy night in Chicago. The Bulls drafted two players in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. The Blackhawks made a blockbuster trade to acquire Bowen Byram. Cassie, Sam and Chris break it down.
The 2026 NBA Draft came to a close on Wednesday evening. The Chicago Bulls started the day with two second-round picks.
They ended the day without having made any selections.
Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham's first NBA Draft as a lead executive garnered just two selections – Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain – but added a player and more assets.
Here's where the Bulls stand after the 2026 NBA Draft, and what's next.
Big picture view:
The Bulls come out of the draft having added just two players. That's not a bad thing.
Wilson is the cornerstone of the Bulls' future. The Bulls needed to come out of this draft with that cornerstone for the future, and they did just that.
Any other pieces added after that would be part of the supporting cast. Swain is a player who could develop into a two-way player that could be an important part of the Bulls' future.
The Bulls took their two second-round swings and traded them.
First, the No. 56 overall pick was traded to Los Angeles Lakers for cash considerations. Second, the Bulls traded the No. 38 overall pick to the Indiana Pacers in a much different deal.
Pacers receive:
- No. 38 overall: Braden Smith
Bulls receive:
- Pacers guard Kam Jones
- Future pick swaps
- Cash considerations
The Bulls came away with picks in future drafts, as well as a young guard. Jones is a second-year guard out of Marquette, and he averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 assists per game as a rookie.
He started seven games for the Pacers last season, and played in 37 games total. He shot 29.3 percent from 3-point range. Jones joins a team that has plenty of open spots for the future.
That team still needs perimeter shooting.
"A lot of people might ask, ‘Where is the shooting at?'" Graham said Tuesday. "I’m not worried about that right now."
Graham is more worried about the mental make-up of the players he's adding to the team as opposed to the skill set at the moment.
"There’s a certain mentality and a certain profile and a way that Coach Tiago and myself want to play," Graham said on Tuesday. "We felt like today was a good layer for that."
The players the Bulls added Tuesday were a good layer for that. Perhaps Graham didn't see a player or two who layered the right mental make-up the front office wanted.
It might seem disappointing that Graham wasn't able to zero in on at least one player he believes could be a part of the Bulls' future. But, Graham is displaying patience in his first offseason leading the Bulls' charge.
He was tested in round one, and he stuck to his scruples even when he could have taken different deals.
"Our staff was on the phones a lot. I give a ton of credit to our staff. And we were open. Open on No. 4, open on No. 15," Graham said Tuesday. "We took all things into account going into tonight."
That means the future of the Bulls will come together in future drafts, and with players who earn the right to belong with the franchise.
What's next:
Graham has spots to fill on this roster. He'll have the Summer League to sort through players that impress him.
Those players will include undrafted free agents.
The Bulls might not have drafted someone in the second round, but they've added two players on two-way deals, according to reports.
Arizona forward Tobe Awaka signed a two-way NBA contract with the Bulls. Providence guard Jaylin Sellere has signed a two-way deal with the Bulls, too.
The Bulls will add more players before the NBA Summer League to field a roster. But, those other players won't be draft picks.
Perhaps Graham is being picky with the players he spends draft picks on. Perhaps getting cash considerations was more valuable than any of the players on the board in the second round.
Graham still got the cornerstone on which he'll build the future of his team. That's what matters, even if the second round was a little deflating. But, this team was never going to take complete shape overnight.
"We're definitely not where we want to be, but we're establishing an identity," Graham said. "I think that's really important for this organization, especially where we're at right now."