Curiously, none of the top 4 projected picks have worked out for the Bulls.
If the Bulls were to trade down, they’d no doubt be able to land a “franchise-changing” haul for the No. 4 pick, one rival front office member tells FortyEightMinutes, given that there seems to be a consensus top 4 in this year’s draft (AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and Caleb Wilson).
Wilson is widely seen as the No. 4 prospect in the draft, though in our 10-Tier, Top 60, our scouting has him clearly below the other three (in tier 3 by himself, below Boozer in tier 1 and Peterson/Dybantsa in tier 2).
Darius Acuff Jr. and Keaton Wagler are among the top-10 prospects to have worked out for Chicago and while there’s been some chatter about the team looking to add another top-10 pick, there hasn’t been too much noise about the possibility of moving down from No. 4.
Latest on Steinbach
We’ve been hearing that Hannes Steinbach is a “lock” to go in the lottery and our intel hasn’t changed.
Steinbach’s pre-workout chatter has been quiet and Jeremy Woo of ESPN writes that he’s drawing interest in the back-half of the lottery “with his range running into the teens.” Woo mocks the center at No. 15 to the Bulls.
Steinbach is now one of 20 prospects to be invited to the NBA Green Room on draft night.
20 NBA Prospects have now received NBA Draft Night Green Room invites:
AJ Dybantsa
Darryn Peterson
Cam Boozer
Caleb Wilson
Keaton Wagler
Mikel Brown Jr.
Darius Acuff Jr.
Kingston Flemings
Nate Ament
Brayden Burries
Aday Mara
Karim Lopez
Labaron Philon Jr.
Christian… pic.twitter.com/bHLnPfBqWp— FortyEightMinutes ? (@FortyEightMins) June 15, 2026
Lakers Draft Buzz
The Lakers own the No. 25 pick and one source indicated that the team is open to trade options regarding the pick as it transitions the roster from the LeBron James era to a team centered around Luka Doncic.
Some around the league expect Los Angeles to move on from James and while the Lakers still want to add a young prospect from this talented class, they could use the selection to move down slightly if it helps to add an affordable veteran who would fit nicely with Doncic.
Hornets Trade Chatter
The Hornets have the No. 14 and No. 18 selection in the upcoming draft and they are looking for frontcourt help, which they could add with their picks or use the selections for trades (via Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com).
Rival teams say the Hornets are looking for frontcourt upgrades via both the draft and trade market, and could potentially move one of their two firsts (14 and 18) for the right player.
More NBA Draft Notes
- The Clippers continue to listen to trade offers for the No. 5 pick, Woo writes on ESPN. Los Angeles has been linked to Jaylen Brown amid other NBA trade rumors.
- We previously detailed how the Sixers have interest in Houston center Chris Cenac, though Woo writes that the big man may have “stabilized himself” in the 14-to-22 range.
- Cenac is currently our No. 24 overall player (seen as a boom or bust prospect who needs the right environment to thrive).
- Cenac goes to the Raptors at No. 19 in Woo’s latest mock draft.
- Darryn Peterson is only working out for the Wizards despite draft rumors stating that he’ll fall past the No. 1 pick. Rival teams are operating as if Dybantsa and Peterson will be the first two selections and Utah has not been against away from drafting players who haven’t worked out with them (with Ace Bailey being the most recent draft prospect).
- Rival teams believe the Bucks are operating like they will have two first round picks.
