What Bulls 2026 draft signals about new regime, new direction

CHICAGO — You could hear it in Bryson Graham’s nasally impression. He expected, if his first draft as lead executive of the Chicago Bulls went as he hoped it might, that the external criticism would call for more shooting.

“A lot of people might (say), ‘Where’s the shooting at?’” Graham said after Tuesday’s first round of the NBA Draft. “I’m not typically worried about that right now. There’s a certain mentality and a certain profile and a way that coach Tiago (Splitter) and myself want to play, and we feel like today was a good layer for that.”

On Day 1, Graham snagged North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Texas wing Dailyn Swain at No. 15. He chose versatility. Ruggedness. Malleability. Two-way play. He chose his vision, which felt obvious with Wilson before he doubled down with Swain.

The goal, at ground zero of the Bulls’ rebuild, seemingly wasn’t to draft pieces meant to complement the quirky, unfulfilled roster they inherited. This weeks-old regime drafted with its future mold in mind, selecting prospects who both emerged as the best players available based on its board and who fit the archetype Chicago wants to build with.

“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. Both Caleb and Dailyn, they fit the bill. We’re not addressing every skill yet.”

Caleb Wilson blends power, explosiveness and coordination in a way other players can’t

Sam Vecenie

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Graham is planning for the distance. When he walked into a building in shambles, he was handed a roster already littered with questionable shooting. Tre Jones and Josh Giddey in the backcourt, Isaac Okoro on the wing. Graham reached for upside, not a singular skill, because to do otherwise would mean bandaging a wound he didn’t create. Refurbishing a team-building vision that never belonged to him.

To be sure, Wilson and Swain are different prospects.

Wilson is an incredible 6-foot-10 athlete, as explosive as any in this draft class, who lived above the rim at North Carolina. He operated plenty out of the post and in transition, a high-flyer who dunked anything he pleased and shot jumpers almost exclusively on turnarounds. The baseline is his explosion and twitchiness, which should immediately make him an effective two-way, inside-the-arc creator.

Swain was college basketball’s best self-creator, with unassisted buckets for days and such a fluid handle at 6-8. He projects as a wing who can defend multiple positions, capitalize on off-the-rails possessions with his rim pressure and potentially serve as a secondary ballhandler — a coveted archetype for competitive teams.

They share their biggest question mark: outside shooting. Wilson didn’t need it to influence games, but it was essentially absent from his arsenal, making 25.9 percent of his 27 3-point attempts in 24 games. Swain improved but finished his junior season at Texas at just 34.4 percent on 2.6 attempts per game.

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Graham didn’t care.

Partly because Wilson’s mechanics and workouts led those inside the building to believe he’s a sponge with massive room for growth. Mostly because Graham listened. He heard Wilson’s outspoken appetite, his stomach rumbling to be a franchise-altering workhorse. For every clip like the one circulating of him denouncing a Kevin Garnett comparison, there are more like his post-draft sentiment Tuesday, when he told reporters, “Y’all got one of the goats in y’all (Bulls’) history, so it’s time for another one.”

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Overall 4 Forward 2

Caleb Wilson North Carolina

Explosive athlete whose ceiling is as high as the top three, but has more flaws.

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“You want guys with very high confidence,” Graham said. “He is obviously a top-five pick, so a lot of expectations come along with that. But I think we have to be careful with tempering some of those expectations, even that he has for his own self.  I know he’s gonna get there, but growth and development is not linear.

“That mentality is what we want in this building.”

Wilson, for weeks, let slip through the cracks that he wanted to be a Bull. That he wanted his ambition to be molded in Chicago. His goals arch as high as his shoulders. He wants to shift and influence a culture.

On draft night, Wilson wore a silver rose pin, which he later detailed was a superstitious nod to Derrick Rose. He hoped that the mock chalk was right. He also claimed that he didn’t read into mock drafts because he didn’t want to get his hopes too high and grow attached to Chicago.

Wilson and Swain, given their skill sets, should prove fairly pluggable. They should both challenge and aid the new coaching staff. Wilson with his uniquely proficient post presence and turnaround jumper. Swain with his self-creation and rim pressure.

“Shooting is a skill that can improve,” Graham said. “Both players’ mechanics are sound. In my previous draft history were guys that improved their shooting over the years. When you check a ton of other boxes — defending, playmaking, advantage creating — maybe shooting is somewhat of a weakness at the moment. It doesn’t deter me from taking you.

“The mentality, the work rate, variety of skills, is really, really important. … Those guys, they fit the type of guy that we want to bring in this building.”

Overall 15 Wing 2

Dailyn Swain Texas

A dynamic driver and finisher who must improve his defense and jump shot to be a starter.

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The Bulls not being constructed like a winner — one with a bevy of versatile players and multiple strengths and an established identity — does not prevent them from snagging players they envision will fuel a winner. Their eventual winner, whenever that hopeful but distant day arrives.

If the rest of the pieces fall in place and develop over the next couple of seasons, Wilson should help power the Bulls on both ends. Swain should mold to different lineups and needs, as a connective passer and multi-positional defender.

On Wednesday, the Bulls traded out of the second round, first trading the 56th pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for cash consideration before the night began. Then, as prospects were swept off the board before their pick, they traded No. 38 — used to select Purdue guard Braden Smith — to the Indiana Pacers for second-year guard Kam Jones, cash and second-round swaps in 2028 and 2030.

Haunting for Bulls fans drained by years of considering cash and open to welcoming as much talent as possible. Shooters. This draft felt like an affirmation, though, that Graham will dip when he doesn’t quite see value. He’s betting on his antennas. It’s all he has to go on this early in his tenure.

Once the three-team trade involving the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets that grants Chicago center Nic Claxton is eligible to be finalized on July 6, the Bulls could presumably have 12 guaranteed contracts. There’s room and assets to acquire the kinds of players worth fitting into this developmental track, worthy of complementing Wilson and Swain and whoever fits Graham’s concepts.

There’s a sense that this front office hopes to reap draft assets this summer. That it will deal for future building blocks instead of consolidating many of the assets it inherited for short-term solutions.

So, no, Graham did not reach for shooters in his first draft. He reached for his foundation. Based on his impression of the average fan, the conviction baked into this plan existed long before this draft.

What Bulls 2026 draft signals about new regime, new direction

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