The Chicago Bulls are slated to pick 11th overall in the 2024 draft. As a lottery team, they can land the No. 1 overall pick. However, the odds overwhelmingly favor their staying put in their current slot. Their resources to add to the current roster are limited.
They owe their 2025 first-rounder to the San Antonio Spurs from the DeMar DeRozan trade.
All of that underscores the need to hit on this pick. ESPN’s Jonathan Givovy projects USC freshman point guard Isaiah Collier as their “most likely pick” at No. 11 overall.
“If the Bulls don’t move up, as expected, rolling the dice on a dynamic, high-upside playmaker such as Collier could make sense,” Givony wrote on May 9. “The freshman is possibly the best shot-creator in the class, getting where he wants on the floor and scoring at a prolific rate.”
“Dynamic point guard built like a tank with the ability to control the game,” The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor wrote.
This past season, Collier averaged 16.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.9 rebounds for the Trojans.
He shot 49% from the floor and 33.8% from beyond the arc for the season. But Collier slashed .534/.467/.706 line over the season’s final five games, including USC’s two-game run in the Pac-12 Tournament.
The Bulls will get their first chance to put Collier through drills at the NBA Draft Combine. It will take place in Chicago from May 12-19.
Bulls’ Backcourt Could Get Boost in 2024 Draft
The Bulls have backcourt depth. They have been without Lonzo Ball for the better part of three seasons. He is working to get back. But Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu have taken significant steps in their development in his absence.
Both players re-signed in free agency last season, White inking a three-year, $36 million contract while Dosumu agreed to $21 million over that same span.
However, their on-court fit still leaves something to be desired.
The Bulls posted a minus-2.2 net efficiency differential when Dosunmu and White shared the floor last season, per Cleaning The Glass. They were better with White and without Dosunmu than the other way around.
Jevon Carter, one of two free agent signings last offseason, also failed to launch in his first go-round with his hometown team.
Carter signed a three-year, $19.5 million pact in free agency.
Perhaps that is enough impetus for the Bulls to choose Collier in the draft. Pairing him with a better scorer in White, the runner-up to Most Improved Player this season, could benefit both players in the long run.
Bulls Urged to Keep Coby White Out of Trade Talks
White’s breakout began last season. The former No. 7 overall pick (2019) showed signs of improved ball handling and finishing in his fourth season.
This year, White made a case for All-Star and season-long honors.
“You could make the case that the 24-year-old is already the Bulls’ best player—especially with DeMar DeRozan entering free agency—and he’d certainly be front and center of a rebuild should the front office ever lean that direction,” Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley wrote on May 9.
“The list of players Chicago would give up White to get can’t be long, and it might be exclusively populated with names who won’t come anywhere near this summer’s trade block.”
That is a strong proposition as the Bulls approach the draft.
The Bulls want to bring back DeRozan, have center Nikola Vucevic under contract, want to extend Alex Caruso, and have found it difficult to unload Zach LaVine. They also have resisted trading Patrick Williams as the former No. 4 overall pick heads for restricted free agency.
Not only is White arguably the Bulls’ best player, but he could also be the player with the most trade value. That leaves the front office in an interesting position in a critical offseason.
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