My Mock Draft as Bulls GM: Building the Future Frontcourt

Over the past few days, I participated in a mock draft/offseason on behalf of the Bulls.  When the draft started, I said that the Bulls lack rim protection, outside shooting, and positional size.  I tried to address those deficiencies and also seek out opportunities to improve the overall talent level, particularly by adding players who can be a positive on both ends.  Here are the results:

Outgoing:  Patrick Williams, Coby White, Marko Simonovic, #18, 2023 POR 1^st rounder (lottery-protected)

Incoming: Jakob Poeltl, PJ Washington, Tari Eason/#12, [rights to] Vasilije Micic, 2025 PHI 1^st rounder (top-6 protected), 2025 CHI 1^st & 2^nd rounders

2022-23 Roster

With decent health, I expect this roster to be much more competitive against the league’s best teams than last year’s version, which was tied for the East’s best record at the All-Star break but notoriously went 3-25 against the top-4 seeds (playoffs included).  I want to stagger Poeltl and Vucevic, though I think they can play together at least a handful of minutes a game against bench units.  Hopefully Vucevic can feast against backups much in the way that Kevin Love did last season and experience a similar revival.  While I looked for a Vucevic trade to add shooting / draft assets, when none presented itself I decided to hang onto him.  I’d rather try him off the bench than move him for next to nothing.

Transactions: Building This Bulls Roster

I made three trades in the mock draft. First, I traded a future 1st rounder for PJ Washington. Then, I traded Coby White, Simonovic, and #18 to move up to #12 (Eason) and get the rights to Micic and a future pick. Finally, I traded Patrick Williams for Jakob Poeltl and picks. I’ll go through each of those transactions.

(1) Traded Blazers’ 2023 1st round pick (lottery protected in 2023 & thereafter) to Charlotte for PJ Washington [using Daniel Theis trade exception]

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Heading into last year’s trade deadline, I wrote about why PJ Washington was my top realistic trade target for the Bulls.  Here’s a quick recap:

• High-volume, high-efficiency outside shooter with deep range, joining a team that ranked last in 3-point attempt rate.  He should open up the court far more than last season’s primary options at the 4.  Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr., and Patrick Williams each averaged just three 3-point attempts per 100 possessions, with more than half of them collectively from the corners.  PJ averaged 8.2 per 100 possessions, with 3/4 of them coming from above the break.
• Excellent ball-handler and passer relative to his position, enabling the Bulls to run all the sets and actions they use with Vucevic and perhaps more.
• Length (7’2.25” wingspan, 8’10.5” standing reach) and lateral quickness make him an extremely versatile defender in terms of switching and executing different schemes and coverages, which is especially useful in the playoffs.

I also find that PJ Washington is an unusually bad fit for the Hornets.  He’s best as a connective player who can handle the ball regularly and execute team defensive schemes with his quickness, switchability, and awareness.  With LaMelo dominating the ball and Miles Bridges as the regular PF, the Hornets need PJ to be more of a play finisher on offense and a rim protector on defense, and those just aren’t his strengths.  I think he’d fit much better with Lonzo and the Bulls.

(2) Traded Coby White, #18, Marko Simonovic to OKC for #12 (Tari Eason), Sixers’ 2025 1st round pick (lightly protected as per Horford trade), rights to Vasilije Micic

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Here is my preferred approach to this year’s draft, for any team:

• If you have a high lottery pick -> trade down to the late lottery, draft Tari Eason
• If you have a late lottery pick -> draft Tari Eason
• If you have mid- to late 1^st round pick -> trade up to the late lottery, draft Tari Eason

Yeah it’s simplistic, but I think it works.  I tend to have fairly idiosyncratic draft rankings, and this year is no exception.  My biggest deviation from the consensus is that I have Eason in the very top tier of prospects.    

Eason has ideal size and athleticism for a combo forward, with a 7’2” wingspan and 8’11.5” standing reach, while already possessing outlier strength.  He was arguably the NCAA’s most disruptive defender last year, as his length, quick feet, quick/massive hands, and outstanding anticipation and explosiveness allowed him to intercept passes, snatch the ball away on live dribbles, and pile up blocks as a help defender and in transition. 

Offensively, Eason has shown rapid development in two years of college, including dramatic improvements in free throw shooting, 3-point shooting, creating his own shot, and getting to the free throw line.  Despite coming off the bench and playing just 24 minutes a game, Eason ranked 3^rd in the SEC in free throw attempts while making 80% of them.  Down the stretch he was automatic at the line, with games of 10-10, 9-9, and 7-7(x2) in his last 6 games (90% overall). 

There are real concerns with Eason, but I think they’re substantially overblown.  He has funky shooting mechanics on his jumper, with a release point just above his right shoulder, and he’s also very right-hand dominant as a ball-handler and finisher.  My view is that shooting mechanics and handle are among the areas most susceptible to improvement as a pro, especially when you’re dealing with someone exhibiting an extreme motor and rapid gains in skill development like Eason.  He was ruthlessly effective even with those flaws, scoring an absurd 40 points per 100 possessions in the SEC on much higher efficiency than most other draft prospects apart from the true bigs.

The other flaws are all somewhat related: he can play out of control at times, he has a poor A/TO ratio, and he commits fouls at a high rate.  This mostly stems from trying to do too much, and I strongly prefer players who are hyperactive and could benefit from dialing it back a bit as opposed to those who are overly passive.  In this respect, he’s the opposite of Patrick Williams.  And I don’t subscribe to the idea that committing lots of fouls is a red flag; several of the league’s best defenders had similar or even higher foul rates in college, including Draymond Green, Joel Embiid, and reigning rookie standout Herb Jones.

I see Eason as the kind of player who can really elevate a team’s title chances if he pans out.  Both statistically and stylistically, one of Eason’s most similar prospects is Shawn Marion.  Certainly Marion is among the highest of Eason’s high-end outcomes, but even a lesser version is a player who holds value regardless of the roster construction or style of play. 

Micic is someone who’s likely worth a lot more to the Bulls than the Thunder.  He’s arguably the best offensive player not currently in the NBA, as he’s been at or near the top of the EuroLeague in scoring, assists, 3s, and free throws in each of the past two seasons.  Micic has indicated that he’s interested in making the jump to the NBA, but only to play a significant role on one of his preferred teams.  The Bulls have been linked to him, and despite holding his rights, the Thunder have not.  By dealing Coby White, the Bulls open up a clear role for Micic as the backup point guard behind an injury-prone (and currently injured) starter in Lonzo Ball.  That seems like a role Micic would be eager to play if the money is right, and the Bulls should be willing to use the taxpayer-MLE on him provided that their frontcourt is mostly set.

(3) Traded Patrick Williams to Spurs for Jakob Poeltl, Bulls’ 2025 1st round pick (protected as per DeRozan S+T), Bulls’ 2025 2nd round pick

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I’m lower than most Bulls’ fans on Patrick Williams.  While I’ve been pleasantly surprised by his jumper, I just don’t see the defensive potential the team was expecting when he was drafted.  His feet and reactions look slow to me, and he drifts through games way too much without making the sort of effort plays I’d like to see (rebounding / boxing out, setting screens, helping on D).  With PJ Washington and Tari Eason on board to cover most minutes at the 4 now and especially in future years, I can feel good about moving Patrick Williams to another team that values him more highly.

Enter the Spurs and Jakob Poeltl to fill the rim protection void.  Poeltl isn’t Gobert in that regard, but he’s solidly in the next, borderline-elite tier.  For the past 3 years on average, opponents are shooting 53.7% within 6 feet when Poeltl’s around, 9.2% worse than they shoot otherwise.  In comparison, opponents are shooting 61.6% within 6 feet when Vucevic is around the rim, just 1.7% worse than they shoot otherwise over that same span.  Poeltl is more coordinated, gets up off the ground much more readily, and does a better job of staying vertical, upright, and in position to contest.

Compared to Gobert as a trade target, Poeltl is a better passer and ball-handler, about 3.5 years younger, and likely to cost roughly half as much going forward.  Poeltl is slated to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, though I would make every effort to keep him and let Vucevic seek a larger role elsewhere.

That’s it for my mock draft and offseason. Now it’s time to sit back and see what the Bulls actually do tonight.

For those interested, the full mock draft results can be found here.