NBA Mock Draft: Could the Bulls Snag TWO First-Rounders? ...Middle East

Our doomed and president-less 31-51 Chicago Bulls’ season is finally, happily in the rearview.

Now, Bulls fans can turn their full attention to the 2026 NBA Draft. We finished the season ninth in the Tankathon reverse standings. In a fascinating wrinkle, the Portland Trail Blazers won seven of their last 10 games to tie the LA Clippers’ record, 42-40, and secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference by way of a tiebreaker.

Portland will have at least two chances to lock up a playoff berth. The Trail Blazers will first clash with the No. 7-seeded Phoenix Suns for the rights to the No. 7 seed in the West, and a first-round series against the 62-20 San Antonio Spurs. If Portland can’t beat Phoenix, it will face the victor of the play-in matchup between LA and the No. 10-seeded Golden State Warriors for the right to the conference’s No. 8 seed and a date with the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the quarterfinals.

Should the Trail Blazers advance to the playoffs, the Bulls will nab their first-round draft pick in June. Armed with a pair of good selections, could Chicago possibly trade up to get a top-five pick? Or would the team’s new front office want to add multiple building blocks and hold onto both selections?

Let’s take a look at some intriguing potential fits.

The Lottery

In this writer’s estimation, there have been some big ripple effects following Michigan’s victory over Connecticut last week. Namely, Yaxel Lendeborg has vaulted up to within our Bulls’ range, while Braylon Mullins has slid out of my own lottery projections.

The athletic big man’s playmaking and handling helped the Wolverines navigate a tough March Madness run. He was playing through a sprained MCL and a rolled ankle last week.

In that final game, Lendeborg’s shot wasn’t falling, and every bucket — even in the post — proved relatively hard for him to come by. Still, he used his size and strength to eventually put up a respectable line, scoring 13 points in the championship game, five of which were notched at the foul line.

Yaxel Lendeborg gets the bucket to go PLUS the foul ? pic.twitter.com/Wr7M9hPme2

The senior power forward is the most NBA-ready prospect on the champs. Could he be the next Jalen Johnson, given his sneaky-good handle for his size, aptitude for scoring off a fastbreak, and his length and bulk?

Across 40 games in 2025-26, he averaged 15.1 points on a .515/.372/.824 slash line, 6.8 boards, 3.2 dimes, 1.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals. He had averaged 11.4 and 10.6 rebounds in the prior two seasons, but this year ceded space cleaning the glass to frontcourt comrades Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara. Lendeborg could be a fascinating fit in Chicago next to Matas Buzelis.

Mid-Round Picks

15. Chicago Bulls (via Portland Trail Blazers): Dailyn Swain, F, Texas16. Memphis Grizzlies (via Orlando Magic): Mikel Brown, Jr., PG, Louisville 17. Charlotte Hornets (via Phoenix Suns): Thomas Haugh, F, Florida18. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Philadelphia 76ers): Morez Johnson Jr., PF, Michigan19. San Antonio Spurs (via Atlanta Hawks): Cameron Carr, SG, Baylor20. Toronto Raptors: Patrick Ngongba II, C, Duke

Could Dailyn Swain be integrated successfully alongside Lendeborg and Buzelis, or would that trio’s cumulative growth be stunted by too much positional overlap?

He’s a talented scorer, and could in theory be slotted in at shooting guard — although he’s been mostly playing small forward at the NCAA level. I’d love to see it.

Been a big fan of Texas wing Dailyn Swain since his high school days, and the 6-8 wing is putting together a strong first season in Austin:16.4 PPG7.4 RPG3.4 APG1.7 SPG56.0 FG%28.6 3PT%77.3 FT%Swain is a versatile wing with excellent positional size who impacts the game… pic.twitter.com/YsX5xJZIDl

He’s a chippy, two-way wing — and could help add some defensive tenacity and size to a currently tiny Bulls squad.

Of course, we expect the Bulls to drastically overhaul much of their roster this summer. Who knows if any holdovers beyond Buzelis, Josh Giddey, and Rob Dillingham will even be there come October!

Late First-Rounders

21. Detroit Pistons (via Minnesota Timberwolves): Chris Cenac Jr., C, Houston22. Atlanta Hawks (via Cleveland Cavaliers): Karim Lopez, F, New Zealand Breakers23. Philadelphia 76ers (via Houston Rockets): Motiejus Krivas, C, Arizona24. New York Knicks: Christian Anderson Jr., G, Texas Tech25. Los Angeles Lakers: Tounde Yessoufou, SG/SF, Baylor26. Denver Nuggets: Aday Mara, C, Michigan 27. Boston Celtics: Braylon Mullins, SG, UConn28. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Detroit Pistons): Amari Allen, SF, Alabama29. Cleveland Cavaliers (via San Antonio Spurs): Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State30. Dallas Mavericks (via Oklahoma City Thunder): Flory Bidunga, C, Kansas

Mullins had a miserable performance when the lights shone brightest.

In that 69-63 Wolverines win, Mullins could barely hit the broad side of a barn — but unlike Lendeborg, he couldn’t blame that on multiple injuries (to our knowledge). He scored 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting from the field (3-of-10 from distance) and was unable to draw a single foul.

The one-and-done freshman guard finished his lone collegiate season with averages of 12.0 points on mediocre .421/.336/.889 shooting splits, plus 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks. It feels to me like Mullins’ ceiling is trending more towards being a slightly skinny, role-playing jump-shooter than a future star.

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