The latest 2026 mock drafts have the chicago bulls taking Tennessee forward Nate Ament at No. 9, a slot that fits where the franchise sits in the lottery. Chicago enters the summer ninth in the standings, with only a 4.5 percent chance at No. 1 and a 20.3 percent chance to land in the top four.
Bryson Graham’s draft start
Bryson Graham was hired on May 4 to replace Arturas Karnisovas, and the first mock-draft read on his new roster plan points to Ament. Graham arrives with a reputation built on scouting and talent evaluation, and that background is part of why a No. 9 projection draws attention now instead of later.
Nate Ament is listed as a 19-year-old forward at 205 pounds, and the Bulls’ current draft position gives them a realistic path to end up in that range. That is the kind of middle-lottery landing spot that can shape the first move of a rebuild even when the top of the board remains out of reach.
Portland’s No. 15 pick
The same projection has Chicago using the No. 15 pick it holds from the Portland Trail Blazers on center Chris Cenac Jr. That gives the Bulls two first-round swings in the same draft range, with one pick tied to lottery luck and the other already in hand.
The mock board also reflects what Graham has done before in New Orleans. He selected Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and he drafted Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III; Jones was taken 35th overall in 2021 and later made First-Team All-Defense in 2023-24. Those names matter because they show the kind of value the Bulls may try to extract if they stay outside the very top of the lottery.
Chicago Bulls lottery odds
The Bulls’ odds set the frame for the entire draft conversation: 4.5 percent for No. 1 and 20.3 percent for the top four. If those numbers hold, a projected No. 9 landing spot for Ament becomes a reasonable starting point rather than a fallback.
Chicago fans looking at this draft class have a clear takeaway already. The Bulls may not control the top of the board, but they do control how they use No. 9 and No. 15, and those two choices now look like the first real test of Graham’s tenure.
