The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery didn’t bring much luck to the Chicago Bulls. They would have kept their first-round pick in this year’s draft only if it jumped into the top four. Unfortunately, the pick stayed at 11th overall and was conveyed to the Orlando Magic through the Nikola Vucevic trade. The Bulls don’t own their second-round pick either, as it was stripped of them after the NBA concluded they broke tampering laws when signing Lonzo Ball.
But just because Chicago doesn’t have a pick in this year’s draft doesn’t mean they aren’t going to keep their eye on the prospects. According to NBC Sports Chicago’s KC Johnson, the Bulls recently met with a group of prospects that included Kentucky guard Cason Wallace.
Wallace, a 6-foot-2 point guard, played just one year at Kentucky. In his single season, he averaged 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while shooting 44.6% from the field and 34.6% from behind the three-point line.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer compares Wallace to Jrue Holiday and De’Anthony Melton, listing his best attributes as hustle, catch-and-shooting , feel for the game, and off-ball defense. His 6-foot-8 wingspan helps on the defensive end.
Most mock drafts have Wallace going just outside of the top 10, meaning Chicago would have to trade up in order to select him.
While Chicago’s apparent desire to run it back with the same core remains clear, there have been some rumblings that they could look to make some noise at the 2023 NBA Draft. However, whether or not they could land a lottery pick is yet to be seen.