The Chicago Bulls are making moves this week, and they made a trade before Day 2 of the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
On Monday, the Bulls were part of a three-way trade to bring on center Nic Claxton, who had previously spent his entire NBA career with the Brooklyn Nets.
On Tuesday night, there was no surprise for the Bulls at No. 4, taking Caleb Wilson out of North Carolina.
There had been chatter Chicago might trade up from No. 15 to land a player to help facilitate a faster rebuild under new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham and head coach Tiago Splitter, but the team stood pat and took guard Dailyn Swain out of Texas.
Chicago entered Wednesday morning with the No. 38 and No. 56 pick in the second round. It’s a minor loss for the Bulls, but a win for ownership.
Per Shams Charania of ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers are trading cash to the Bulls in exchange for the No. 56 pick.
“Sources: The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring No. 56 from the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the NBA draft tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN,” Charania posted on X. “Lakers sent cash to the Bulls to get a pick tonight.”
Chicago Bulls love getting second-round pick for cash
Jun 17, 2026; Chicago, Il, USA; New Chicago Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter speaks during a press conference at Advocate Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Graham’s predecessor Artūras Karnišovas absolutely loved stocking second-round picks during his tenure, giving up some of his best players without getting a first-round pick in return.
And while the Bulls’ inability to put together a competitive roster was a result of those poor trades, at least Chicago can get cash out of the talents they lost from the annual Play-In era.
The Bulls still have the No. 38 pick to find a young prospect to develop this year. That is, if they want to bother with that basketball development stuff NBA teams do. Chicago could always shop the pick for more money.
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