NBA Draft

Options for the Chicago Bulls in the 2025 NBA Draft

Chicago will likely need to land a big time prospect in the upcoming draft to expedite its new rebuild.

Derek Parker

Feb 15, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Khaman Maluach (9) reacting after dunking against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Blue Devils won 106-70. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
Feb 15, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Khaman Maluach (9) reacting after dunking against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Blue Devils won 106-70. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images / Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
In this story:

After offloading longtime veteran scorer Zach LaVine, the Chicago Bulls finally and officially seem to be trending towards a full-scale rebuild.

The team has long-occupied the middle ground of the NBA, not quite contending but not quite earning the blue chip prospects at the draft, either. Now, with players like LaVine, Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan onto bigger and better things, Chicago is finally free to pour into youth, which its set to add at the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft.

With its future in mind, here are three options for the Bulls with the eighth-best odds, which they currently have:

Derik Queen, Maryland

A 6-foot-10 big, Maryland’s Queen offers one of the more unique prospects in the entire draft.

He’s in the same mold of Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun as a center archetype, possessing feel and touch in finishing and passing, rather than pure size and athleticism. While he’s certainly not on the level of those two just yet, his collegiate production has somewhat followed suit.

With Chicago not necessarily having clear direction at this point in time, swinging on a high-feel, five-star freshman big averaging 16.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists could be a play.

Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma

Fears, a 6-foot-4 point guard, is a similarly big swing. He the youngest player in the entire class, and is averaging 15.2 points and 3.8 assists per game for Oklahoma.

He’s shooting just 26% from 3-point land, more of a testament to just how crafty he is in getting downhill and finishing with finesse. He’s far from a finished product, though, averaging 3.7 turnovers while seeing questionable shot-selection and decision-making nightly.

The Bulls have plenty of guard options, but Fears is one of a few mid-lottery prospects with legitimate star upside in his ball-handling and jump-shooting.

Khaman Maluach, Duke

Should the Bulls want to go a different direction — adding valuable longtime contributors opposed to star swings — they could gamble on 7-foot center Khaman Maluach. 

There’s no real star pathway for Maluach, but it’s also unlikely he’s unable to see the NBA floor with quickness. He stands at 7-foot-2, and has showcased elite interior finishing a decent shot-block timing for the Blue Devils, making him a tantalizing NBA prospect.

The Bulls have long rolled out an offensive-minded center in Nikola Vukcevic, who obviously isn’t a part of the longterm future. In Malauch, they would have a defensive archetype as they continue their rebuild into the future.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

Published
Derek Parker
DEREK PARKER

Derek Parker covers the National Basketball Association, and has brought On SI five seasons of coverage across several different teams. He graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2020, and has experience working in print, video and radio.

Home/Newsfeed