The Chicago Bulls hold two first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft — their own at No. 4 and the Portland Trail Blazers’ pick at No. 15 — and CBS Sports projects Chicago leaving with Caleb Wilson and Cameron Carr. It’s precisely the kind of haul a team in the middle of a deliberate rebuild should be targeting: a potential franchise cornerstone paired with a high-upside wing in the same draft. Chicago’s long rebuilding offseason just became a lot more interesting.

At No. 4, CBS calls Chicago’s decision the easiest in the entire draft: whoever among Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer, and Wilson remains on the board, take them. Here it’s Wilson — the North Carolina freshman who averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 25.9% from three. At 6-foot-9 with elite athleticism, Wilson is described as a “foundational building block” for a franchise entering a new era. His combination of explosive above-the-rim play, relentless motor, and above-average feel for the game gives Chicago the physical identity that has been missing from this roster for years.

The opportunity cost at No. 4 is significant. The player projected immediately after Wilson in most mocks is Keaton Wagler — a 6-foot-5 combo guard who averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists at Illinois while shooting 39.7% from three. Wagler is a polished playmaker with legitimate All-Star ceiling upside per CBS, the kind of feel-based guard who processes the game faster than his athleticism suggests. Choosing Wilson over Wagler is a choice of explosive physical upside over a more immediate-impact floor general.

At No. 15 (the Portland Trail Blazers pick), CBS takes Cameron Carr — the Baylor sophomore who averaged 18.9 points on 49.4/37.4/80.1 shooting splits after transferring from Tennessee where he played just 41 minutes total in his freshman year. Carr’s offensive upside is the draw: he blossomed into a lead scorer at Baylor, and his athleticism at 6-foot-5 gives him a defensive ceiling that makes him more than just a floor spacer. CBS notes it wouldn’t be surprising if Carr went in the mid-to-late lottery.

Bleacher Report takes Wilson at No. 4 as well but projects Hannes Steinbach at No. 15 instead of Carr. Yahoo Sports aligns with both Wilson and Carr in the same slots. Tankathon has Wilson at No. 4. The agreement on Wilson at this position is essentially universal across every major outlet covering this draft.

Outlet	Projected Player (Pick 4)
CBS Sports	Caleb Wilson
Bleacher Report	Caleb Wilson
Tankathon	Caleb Wilson
Yahoo Sports	Caleb Wilson

Chicago’s roster situation entering this draft is clarifying. The Bulls traded away their veteran core at the February deadline and committed to a youth movement centered on Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis. Wilson slots into that core as the power-and-athleticism pillar that the roster was missing — a player who can pair with Buzelis to form a frontcourt built around length, explosiveness, and fast-break productivity. Wilson’s ability to chase down rebounds and finish above the rim also makes him the ideal running mate for a point guard like Giddey, whose vision and size are wasted without athletes to connect with.

Adding Carr at No. 15 gives the Bulls a wing scorer who can function in a three-and-D role immediately while developing off-the-dribble skills over time. Wilson and Carr in the same draft class — one a high-ceiling athlete, the other a high-floor scorer — gives Chicago a clear roster direction. This is how the transition from blank-slate tanking to directed construction begins: two first-rounders, two clear building blocks, and a franchise point forward in the wings waiting for them to develop.