The 2026 NBA draft is less than a month away. Chicago Bulls VP of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham has stayed busy building out his front office and is now hunting for a new head coach. The hope is that he can have every critical job filled before the action starts on June 23rd. From there, it comes down to who they want with that 4th overall pick in the 1st round. That depends on what the three teams ahead of them will do. NBA insider Brett Siegel has been gathering information for weeks on how things could unfold. The biggest nugget involves Cameron Boozer.
Siegel spoke to Mully & Haugh on 104.3 The Score about what he’s heard. Right now, most people inside the league believe the Washington Wizards will take BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa #1 overall. However, there is an undercurrent who think Darryn Peterson of Kansas will steal that spot. Regardless, the Utah Jazz at #2 are expected to select whomever the Wizards don’t take. That leaves the Memphis Grizzlies at #3. From everything Siegel has heard, it will be Boozer. There isn’t a single dissenting voice in that regard. Memphis will take the Duke standout.
That means the Bulls are likely to land North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson.
That outcome for Cameron Boozer would be a win-win.
The second-generation star would land on a team with less of a high-profile media presence, giving him a great opportunity to develop in peace. Memphis would get an excellent front court piece who can rebound and score in the paint, which they have struggled with. Meanwhile, the Bulls would land an elite athlete in Wilson, who is a perfect fit for Graham’s philosophy. He wants to build an athletic team with length and defensive prowess. Wilson was one of the best defensive forwards in college basketball last season, regularly matching up with every opponent’s best ball-handler.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
What is holding him back from being taken higher is his offensive game. Wilson has good shooting form and the building blocks to grow. His superb explosiveness allows him to finish at the rim with relative ease. What he lacks is polish, and some teams might not be willing to gamble on that. Many see him as the possible next Shawn Kemp if he sticks to defense and finishing, or Pascal Siakam if his shooting improves. Either way, the Bulls would be getting a perfect building block.
Wilson is better for where the Bulls want to go.
Through all of this, it’s important to point out that Cameron Boozer is not a bad prospect. If the Bulls ended up with him, they’d be getting another LaMarcus Aldridge. We’re talking about a guy who gets 20 points and 10 rebounds every night for the next decade. You can build teams around that. The key argument for Wilson is what he brings to the table that Chicago doesn’t have. They’ve been among the weaker defensive teams for several years now. Last season was probably one of their worst.
One fundamental truth about the Eastern Conference is that if you want to go all the way, you need to play great defense. It was true during the Jordan years, again during the Rose years, and we just saw it play out again with the New York Knicks. Wilson would be a significant step in that direction. His floor is that of an elite defender. Anything beyond that would be a huge boon for the franchise. As always, anything can happen come draft night, but it sounds like Wilson will be the guy they end up with.
