Grading the Chicago Bulls after the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft
Instant analysis of the Chicago Bulls selecting Caleb Wilson in the 2026 NBA Draft
The Chicago Bulls inked the players they'll bank their future on. The Bulls took Caleb Wilson at No. 4 overall, and Dailyn Swain No. 15 overall. Chris Kwiecinski and Sam Panayotovich have instant analysis of the two selections.
Bryson Graham was open about how he was challenged in his first NBA Draft as the Chicago Bulls top shot-caller.
If really was tested, then he passed with flying colors.
Here’s how we graded the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, from the selections of Wilson and Swain as well as the night Bryson Graham had.
Caleb Wilson
This was an easy one.
The Bulls were going to get one of the four franchise cornerstones that were available in this draft. It all went the way everyone thought it would go:
Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer and, of course, Wilson.
The Bulls are looking to Wilson as the future of the team. It’s easy to see it. He had elite rebounding skills, elite offensives skills at the rim and elite rim defending skills all at the college level.
It’s on the Bulls to develop that into a top-tier NBA player the team believes he can be. The good news is he has plenty of elite talents the Bulls can work with and a coach, Tiago Splitter, who was a center in the NBA and has a knack for player development.
Wilson already has the right mindset. He talked about wanting to be one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
He’ll have to work for it.
There’s no question he can get there with the skill set he already has.
The Bulls didn’t overthink this one.
Grade: A+
Chicago Bulls select North Carolina star No. 4 overall in 2026 NBA Draft: What it means
The selection that plenty thought the Bulls were going to make at No. 4 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft has finally been written in ink. Caleb Wilson is a Chicago Bull.
Dailyn Swain
The good news is the Bulls have size.
Swain is 6-foot-8 and 211 pounds. He’s a mismatch for guards and should have enough size to hold his own on switches with some post players.
He has a crafty finish at the rim and is a decent shooter. He’s also a solid two-way defender, which offers versatility the Bulls needed from one of their first additions this offseason.
If he develops, Swain will be a player that can be on the roster for years to come with an important supporting role with his many talents.
It’ll be debated if the Bulls should have used this selection to take Cameron Carr or Labaron Philion Jr. at No. 15 to give the guard rotation some depth and some shooting from beyond the arc.
Grade: B
Chicago Bulls select Dailyn Swain No. 15 in 2026 NBA Draft: What it means for the team
The Bulls have drafted Texas wing Dailyn Swain with the 15th overall pick in the draft, adding to a roster that now has some young size.
Bryson Graham
Before his first-ever draft as a lead NBA executive, Bryson Graham was shooting around the Advocate Center floor.
He didn’t miss much, showcasing his basketball acumen. He did play for Texas A&M, you know. It was the beginning of a big evening.
Graham was open about how he was tested on Tuesday night.
Teams called him about both of his first-round picks. They tried to gauge interest, and Graham said he listened to callers. But, in the end he stuck with his conviction and took the players he believed in.
Those two players were Wilson and Swain.
On a night where Graham could have overplayed his hand and got overly aggressive, Graham stayed the course. He took the players he believed in.
He showed he has the patience to stay the course in this rebuild.
Grade: A