The Chicago Bulls have a chance to retain the 2021 first-round draft pick they traded to the Orlando Magic to acquire Nikola Vucevic, and it could help them tremendously if they retain it.
The Bulls need to hold onto their rabbit feet, knock on wood, and throw salt over their shoulders. Tonight, June 22, is the NBA draft lottery.
The Bulls need their first-round pick to land in the top four draft picks to be able to officially retain their pick from the Orlando Magic. The Bulls have a 20.3 percent chance to land their pick into the top four and a 4.5 percent chance of winning the lottery and earning the top spot in the draft.
If the opposing odds proceed, the 80 percent chance that the Magic will keep the pick, the Bulls will have to wait until the second round to make an addition to their team from the draft.
What would happen if the Chicago Bulls can retain their first-round pick?
Chaos? Frenzy? Party in the streets of Chicago? These are all amicable responses to the Bulls landing their pick in the top four because they could make some hefty improvements to the roster.
The Bulls require a starting point guard, possibly a starting power forward (if Markkanen is not signed back to the Bulls), and a backup shooting guard.
This year’s draft is not married to one guy unanimously going first overall in the draft, even though it will likely be Cade Cunningham. Talent is spread out through the draft.
Here are some candidates the Bulls should be scouting if they can retain their pick.
Jalen Suggs
Suggs is the most well-rounded guard in the draft in my opinion. He averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists with Gonzaga in his freshman year. He has tremendous efficiency, shooting over 50 percent from the field.
Suggs is also an excellent defender, which is what the Bulls need on the perimeter. Suggs carried a defensive rating of 90 and a defensive box plus/minus of 4.6, adding 2.1 defensive win shares to the stat sheet too.
Suggs is the best option if available at the fourth overall spot in the draft.
Jalen Green
Green finished his first season with Ignite last year and proved to be a bonafide top-five pick in the draft. He averaged 17.9 points per game along with 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
Green talks heavily about wanting to be a better defensive player, even though he already recorded a 0.5 defensive box plus/minus in the G-league. He wants to improve that side of his game.
He has tremendous athleticism and creativity around the rim. Plus, he already got an early jump on the professional play by playing in the G-league. Green would be an excellent option if the Bulls had the chance to take him.
To trade or not to trade?
The Bulls are clearly starting to turn their roster into a venerable group of players after adding Vucevic and eliminating Wendell Carter Jr. from it before the trade deadline.
Karnisovas’s addition of Garrett Temple last offseason also goes to show his dedication to putting together a more experienced roster.
If the Bulls land a top-four pick in the draft, it will be the sixth consecutive year the Bulls will be drafting in the lottery. Ideally, the front office should add players with NBA experience already.
The Bulls gave up two first-round draft picks for Vucevic — however, they are worth giving up.
We don’t need young players anymore. The Bulls inability to close out games proves that.
You have to pay the price for a star, and Vucevic is having the best season of his career.
— Ryan Taylor (@ryan18taylor) March 25, 2021
Before the trade deadline last season, the Bulls had a younger starting lineup than that of the University of Wisconsin’s men’s basketball team.
NBA fans will know soon enough after the lottery which teams will want to trade up or down, but the Bulls should look to use their potential fourth overall pick as leverage to trade for better assets on the court.
How will AK work his magic if he gets his hands on a top-four pick in the draft?
