Chicago Bulls: 3 Hail Mary trades to get into first round of 2023 NBA Draft

Tonight, the 2023 NBA Draft is finally here and the Chicago Bulls, currently, are without a pick in either round. Arturas Karnisovas has mortgaged several picks since taking over the Bulls, and it has led to nothing except a run of mediocrity.

But, that could soon change. The Bulls have been rumored to want to move into the first round of the draft, but it would take a little work and maybe some luck.

If Chicago wanted to try some last-minute deals with some under-the-radar partners, maybe they would consider some deals like these three.

Oklahoma City is an attractive trade partner for the Chicago Bulls

The first team the Bulls could try a Hail Mary with is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have gobs of picks over the next few years thanks to Sam Presti’s wizardry. The Thunder look to have an impressive, young core built around guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey.

What if they were to add DeMar DeRozan to this young team that’s going to get last year’s first rounder Chet Holmgren back healthy for this coming season? There’s no denying that a Thunder team featuring those four, plus the rest of their young depth, could make some noise in the West.

In this deal, the Bulls get guard Lu Dort and forward Dario Saric from the Thunder. They would also get pick no. 12 this year, plus Oklahoma City’s first rounder next year, via the Los Angeles Clippers. The Thunder have three first-round picks next year, and this is likely going to be the lowest of them.

From here, the Bulls have some picks to work with and, if they so desired to build around Zach LaVine, they could try and do so a whole lot easier.