Caleb Wilson's dominant start to Summer League has Ricky and Jason going all in on the hype surrounding the No. 4 pick. The Bulls rookie took Vegas by storm with a historic 35-point debut against Cameron Boozer and the Grizzlies that saw him make seven 3-pointers, matching the number of triples he hit in his entire lone season at UNC. There's plenty of reason to believe this shooting improvement is real, as Wilson has been putting in a lot of work and he has been cashing in all types of looks from downtown in Vegas.

Wilson has also popped in other ways, showing some off-the-dribble juice and pulling off a number of a highlight-reel blocks. The rookie also had arguably the dunk of the summer with his poster against the Jazz. While he hasn't been perfect, with some turnover and free throw issues plaguing him at times, this Summer League run has undoubtedly been a rousing success for the Bulls' new franchise pillar. The question now is if he'll play anymore games or shut it down. 

As good as Wilson has been, Dailyn Swain has been the exact opposite. Swain has been a disaster, struggling to handle point guard duties and showing a completely inability to make shots. Swain is 3-of-26 from the field and 0-of-7 from 3 so far, missing a number of layups badly and displaying an ugly 3-point shot that needs a lot of work. His inability to finish around the rim has been especially strange given how prolific he was at Texas. 

Swain showed some better signs as a playmaker in the Bulls' victory over the Wizards, but he still missed all seven of his shots and is 0-of-16 over the last two games. Swain should definitely keep playing in Vegas to get more reps. 

Meanwhile, Noa Essengue has been a mixed bag and also should see more minutes in Vegas. While Essengue has shown tantalizing flashes as a defender, his offense is very raw and a major work in progress. He needs to get a lot stronger so he's not always getting knocked off his spots and hitting the deck, and he really needs to tighten up his handle and decision-making. 

Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter benched Essengue to start the second half against the Jazz, and then the second-year forward came off the bench against the Wizards. Is he already in the doghouse? It's not a great sign, but the Frenchman is still trying to catch up after missing almost his entire rookie season. 

As of now, it doesn't look like Swain or Essengue belong in the Bulls' regular rotation, but a lot can change by the time the season gets going. 

Finally, ESPN's Jamal Collier wrote a story exposing a number of the failures of the Arturas Karnisovas regime, ultimately highlighting the improved vibes in the building with Bryson Graham leading the show. But will the results be better? Time will tell. 

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The Bulls started NBA free agency by bringing back Zach Collins on a two-year, $17 million contract extension, and then they made their big move by landing Norman Powell on a two-year, $45 million deal. While the Collins deal seemed weird on the surface, the team option on Year 2 helps and he could be a tradable piece almost immediately. 

The Powell move was telegraphed heading into free agency, and getting him on a two-year deal with a team option is a good piece of business for a Bulls team that badly needed to add shooting. Powell is at nearly 40% from 3-point range for his career and is coming off arguably his two best seasons, making him a solid veteran addition at shooting guard. 

Ricky and Jason break down these deals and how they fit into Bryson Graham's first offseason as a whole. While it hasn't been a slam dunk, Graham has done a fine job adding both young talent and veterans, with the potential of signing another player with the room exception. Could that be Anfernee Simons? 

While there were have been some missed opportunities in the draft and with the cap space, Graham is essentially kicking the can down the road with some of these moves and hoping his first-round picks are big winners. Patience is required to see how Graham will turn out as a lead executive, and it'll be interesting to see what he does with this roster at his first trade deadline. 

Graham's perfectly fine offseason comes amid an NBA that has gone crazy with blockbuster trades. Graham needs to be positioning the Bulls to be in position to make one of those kinds of trades in the coming years, and the hope is steps will be made toward that this upcoming season. 

Of course, this upcoming season still projects to be bad record-wise given the status of the roster, which is totally fine as long as there's youth development and a building of the asset base. We'll see if Graham has any other moves up his sleeve this offseason. 

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After crushing the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, Bryson Graham's second round was a bummer given he traded out of both picks. The first trade was selling the No. 56 pick to the Lakers for cash considerations, and then while on the clock the Bulls traded No. 38 to the Pacers for Kam Jones, future second-round pick swaps and cash. Will Jones even make the roster after a rough rookie season with the Pacers? 

While this was a disappointing outcome that continued an ugly trend from past regimes, there's no reason to overreact about Graham just yet. There's still a lot of offseason left, and Graham did take the time to speak to multiple local media outlets about his moves. Even if some of his explanations fell flat, it was good to actually hear him defend his decisions. 

With the draft now in the rearview mirror, free agency takes center stage. There has already been a lot of action on the trade front, including a wild LaMelo Ball trade that impacts two former Bulls in Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White. Dosunmu is heading back to the Wolves on a five-year, $112 million contract and will now share a backcourt with Ball and Anthony Edwards, while White is returning to the Hornets on a three-year, $74 million contract to presumably be Ball's replacement.

As for the Bulls themselves, they badly need shooting, and there's plenty of smoke billowing around Norman Powell. Is this legit interest or just an agent using them as leverage? Powell would bring much-needed shooting to the roster, but he is 33 years old, so it would have to be a short-term contract. 

Ricky and Jason look at a number of other possible targets, including a bunch of shooters (guards and bigs) and also Jalen Duren now that it looks like there's a chance he leaves the Pistons. Detroit did beat Chicago to the punch on an Isaiah Joe trade, so that's off the table. Kevin Huerter is also returning to the Pistons. 

Finally, the Bulls did add some intriguing undrafted free agents, and this year's Summer League roster should be a lot of fun. 

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The Bulls drafted Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, a choice that was telegraphed for quite some time. Then at No. 15, Bryson Graham went with Dailyn Swain, who had been on Ricky's radar for a while. 

With these two picks, Ricky declares that Graham "crushed" his first draft, bringing hope for the future in Chicago. Ricky breaks down Wilson's game, discusses his SB Nation feature story on the new Bulls star and dismisses comps on both ends of the spectrum to both Kevin Garnett and Tyrus Thomas. 

As for Swain, the Bulls are getting a slasher who can get into the paint at will and who will bring a lot of versatility to the floor. While the pick brings some questions about the roster's lack of shooting, Swain does have some upside there. Could he wind up being a poor man's Jimmy Butler? 

With the first round in the books, Ricky names 3 second-round targets and implores the Bulls to possibly even trade up for them. 

While these draft picks are bringing good vibes, the Nic Claxton trade that went down right before the draft (but can't become official until July) raises some concerns. Once a rising star at center for the Nets, Claxton has declined in recent years, with back issues apparently playing a role. 

Will a fresh start in Chicago help rejuvenate Claxton and turn him into a fringe DPOY candidate again? Or will he continue to be an average-ish center with no further upside? The good news is the trade cost pretty much nothing but cap space, and Claxton's declining contract is a plus as well. 

Finally, the guys look ahead to some possible ways to improve the shooting on the roster. Isaiah Joe, anybody? Coby White reunion? Free agency begins in a week after Round 2. 

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New Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham has finally hired his head coach, luring Tiago Splitter away from the Blazers after he helped lead the franchise back to the playoffs for the first time in five years. It seemed like bringing Splitter back was a no-brainer, but new Blazers owner Tom Dundon's cheapness got in the way. 

Longtime friend of the program and Blazers insider Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report and Rip City Radio 620 joins Ricky and Jason to talk all about Splitter's brief tenure in place of Chauncey Billups, who was arrested one game into the season due to his involvement in a bombshell gambling scandal. Splitter took over and overcame the tough circumstances to get Portland into and through the play-in tournament, giving Chicago the No. 15 pick before ultimately losing to the Spurs in five games. 

Highkin goes into detail about why Splitter isn't returning to Portland (Dundon is the main factor), the job he did with the Blazers, what he'll bring to the Bulls and what still needs to improve. It's a hire that makes sense for Chicago given the circumstances, with Splitter and Graham aligned on how to move forward with a rebuilding roster. Splitter was liked and respected by his Blazers players, and now he'll look to enact a culture change for this Bulls franchise. 

And could Walker Kessler be Splitter's new Donovan Clingan? A report from Sam Amick of The Athletic suggests Kessler isn't happy with the Jazz, which could open the door for the Bulls to make a run in restricted free agency. 

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Ricky is joined by Memphis-based NBA Draft analyst Chip Williams to talk about the Grizzlies' pick at No. 3, which will influence what the Bulls do at No. 4. The consensus outcome for the Grizzlies is Cameron Boozer, but there has been some buzz about Boozer going to the Jazz at No. 2. If that happened, what would the Grizzlies do at No. 3 and how would that impact the Bulls? 

Chip then gives his full breakdown of Caleb Wilson, who still appears to be the likeliest option for the Bulls at No. 4. While he has Wilson a tier below the top three, he's still the clear No. 4 prospect with a lot of upside. Ricky and Chip talk multiple comps for Wilson and how he'd fit with the Bulls. 

The discussion then shifts to the No. 15 pick, with talk about Ebuka Okorie, Morez Johnson, Dailyn Swain and more. With the Grizzlies picking at No. 16, they share a lot of interest in what the Bulls will do. 

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Ricky and Jason react to the tragic death of legendary Bulls broadcaster and three-time NBA champion Stacey King, paying tribute to a giant in the Chicago sports landscape. The guys remember King's best calls and nicknames, and Ricky discusses his personal connection to the late announcer. 

The Bulls will never be the same without King, but the franchise has to soldier on in the wake of his tragic passing. Bryson Graham continues his head coaching search, with finalists coming into focus this week. There's a lot of buzz around Tiago Splitter and Micah Nori, and a final decision should be coming soon. 

Finally, there's some draft chatter about the Bulls trading up from No. 15. Illinois star Keaton Wagler was among the prospects to get a workout and has gained some buzz for the Bulls, but it's unclear if they'll be able to trade up. 

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Ricky and Jason welcome Maxwell Baumbach of No Ceilings to the show for Bulls NBA Draft talk, but first is an update on the head coaching search and some new hires in the front office who are tight with Bryson Graham from his Pelicans days. There's still not a whole lot of clarity in the head coaching search after Sean Sweeney went to the Magic last week, except that Graham should be picking his finalists very soon. Billy Donovan's top assistant Wes Unseld Jr. is expected to be one of those finalists. 

Ricky and Maxwell then dive deep on Caleb Wilson, focusing first on his offensive upside before examining his defensive potential. The conversation turns to the No. 15 pick, where Morez Johnson is a popular option but Ricky unleashes a hot take about the possibility of Kingston Flemings falling and being available. Does Maxwell agree that this scenario could play out? 

This isn't Ricky's hottest take of the pod, as he also proposes a wild trade up involving Matas Buzelis to get Cameron Boozer, who gets an unexpected comparison to one of the greatest players of all time.

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Bryson Graham's Bulls head coaching search is moving along slowly, with a wide net of candidates and no clear presumptive favorite. As we wait on a head coach, NBA Draft prep continues as Ricky and Jason welcome draft expert Finn Vandergriff of The Double Bonus and The Center Hub to the show. 

Finn breaks down all things Caleb Wilson and then goes into some of the options with the 15th pick. He also hypes up Noa Essengue and Leonard Miller while looking at how all these players would fit with Matas Buzelis and the rest of the Bulls roster. Plus, some Josh Giddey trade talk and a sneaky free agent point guard target to pursue. 

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Jason and Ricky welcome NBA Draft analyst Latif Love of Love My Takes to the show to recap the NBA Draft Combine and take a deep dive into the Bulls' options with picks 4 and 15.

Before all the draft chatter, the guys discuss Bryson Graham hiring Stephen Mervis and Acie Law IV as his top lieutenants in the front office. Next up is the head coaching search, with The Stein Line's Jake Fischer reporting Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Thunder assistant Dave Bliss, James Borrego and Tiago Splitter among the named candidates. (NOTE: Fischer later also named Hornets assistant Lamar Skeeter and Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt as candidates, but they weren't discussed on this pod.)

Moving on to the draft, Ricky breaks down his experience at the combine and some of his highlights at the annual event in Chicago. Ricky and Latif then go back and forth with a full breakdown of Caleb Wilson, the Bulls' likeliest pick at No. 4. They go over strengths, weaknesses and how he fits with the Bulls' other core players. While Wilson is likely a tier below the top three guys in this draft and has a lot to work on, the potential is tantalizing. 

Ricky and Latif then go over a number of options for the Bulls at No. 15. Will Aday Mara actually still be around? How about Mara's Michigan teammate Morez Johnson? Cameron Carr was a big combine winner, but there are question marks. Plus a look at several others. 

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