A New Era in Chicago: A Letter to Bryson Graham

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The Chicago Bulls’ fanbase is showing signs of optimism we haven’t seen since, well, the last front office regime change. “This time it’s different, though,” we say again, “because Bryson Graham will actually spend money.”

This time, it really might be. In one of the highest-quality draft classes of the century, the Chicago Bulls were rewarded by the Basketball Gods with the number 4 overall pick, jumping from their projected 9th slot. On top of that, the Portland Trail Blazers’ pick will finally convey at #15, in a year where a true contributor can realistically be had that late in the first round.

So where do we go from here? Will Bryson Graham have the freedom to operate as he sees fit, or will he be yet another fall man for an ownership group that refuses to spend what it takes to compete in one of the biggest markets in the league? It’s early June, so I’m firmly in my optimistic phase, and I choose to believe the former. In case you’re reading this, Bryson, here’s what I, in my entirely unprofessional opinion, would suggest you do this offseason.

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NBA Draft

The number 4 overall pick should be the easiest part of the offseason. TAKE WHOEVER IS LEFT of the top 4 prospects. I do not want to hear any hipster NBA takes about how Aday Mara could unlock the Bulls by filling the center role, or how keeping Keaton Wagler in the state of Illinois is the move, given his high-level scoring. I’m a fan of both prospects. There is still no world in which I take either of them over any of the top 4: AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, or Caleb Wilson.

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I’m open to discussions about trading up from 4 to any of the 1–3 spots, though the likelihood we have what it takes to land a top-2 pick is exceedingly low, and depending on the cost of moving to 3, we may be best served taking our chances at 4 with whoever falls. For what it’s worth, I’d draft them in the order listed above. Boozer provides the highest immediate floor; Dybantsa offers an incredible ceiling; Peterson is, frankly, more talented than Dybantsa; and Caleb Wilson might somehow end up being the best player of the crop when it’s all said and done. What a position to be in, walking into your first offseason as GM: DO NOT MESS IT UP.

At pick 15, there are several directions the Bulls could go, and there’s no single right answer. Names that appear across mock drafts include Chris Cenac Jr., Karim Lopez, Cameron Carr, Morez Johnson, Jayden Quintance, and Koa Peat.

If Cameron Carr is available at 15, he feels like the obvious choice. The profile is compelling: the shooting and athleticism of Zach LaVine, combined with the length to defend at Mikal Bridges’ level. His college pedigree and competitive makeup signal that he’ll come in ready to contribute and won’t be rattled by the moment. On a young roster, that’s exactly what you want.

If Carr is off the board, the center position becomes the priority. There’s no hiding the fact that the Bulls have a glaring need there, and it will have to be addressed either through the draft or free agency before next season begins. And while our previous front office would have had us believe Jalen Smith is a key building block for the future, I am here to remind you that this is very much not the case.

My pick in that scenario: Chris Cenac Jr. out of Houston. He’s young, entering the draft after his freshman year, but he comes from a program that has demonstrated real ability to develop NBA-caliber players. He may be leaving school earlier than ideal, but that also allows Chicago to draft him at 15 and spend a full season developing him. I’d love to trade back a few spots before pulling the trigger, but if there’s no deal to be made, you move forward with the plan.

Karim Lopez is not a polished prospect, but he fits a positional need with a versatile enough skill set to warrant consideration. Unpolished is an understatement, frankly, but Chicago’s timeline is flexible enough that there’s no urgency to rush him. He’d also push Noa Essengue, which wouldn’t be the worst thing.

For the first time in a long time, the Bulls are drafting with genuine upside at both picks. The number 4 selection should be straightforward: trust the tier, take the talent, resist the temptation to be clever. Pick 15 is where the real decision-making begins, with Cameron Carr as my preferred target and a pivot to the frontcourt if he’s unavailable. Two picks, two chances to get it right. That’s more than this franchise has had in years.

Coaching Carousel

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One of the more consequential decisions still ahead is who becomes the next head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Billy Donovan had a middling tenure by any measure of success, but he was a good coach. My initial hope was to move early and hire Taylor Jenkins, but unfortunately, the Milwaukee Bucks beat us to it. Michael Malone would have been a compelling and experienced option, but the University of North Carolina got there first, and ultimately, he would not want to be a part of a multi-year rebuild.

So here we are, into early June, weeks away from the draft, with no head coach in place. Some of the names circulating: Sean Sweeney, Jerry Stackhouse, Johnnie Bryant, Kevin Young, and Chris Quinn.

Chicago shouldn’t be hiring someone to chase a championship in the next two seasons because they won’t be in a position for one. With a new lottery system coming into place, the focus needs to be on player development and a change to play meaningful games. That’s the lens through which this hire should be evaluated.

Sean Sweeney would have been a steal from the Spurs organization. But even in the time between when I started writing this and now, San Antonio won Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals/started the NBA finals, and Orlando is reportedly close to hiring Sweeney as their next head coach. Moving on.

Jerry Stackhouse is a name familiar across fan bases, known first as a player, later as a Warriors assistant, and to a smaller audience as the head coach of the Raptors 905 G-League team that won a championship in 2017. The experience is real. My concern is his coaching style, and whether it’s a fit for the kind of rebuilding roster we’ll likely field for the next couple of years. A serious organization will at least take him under consideration and make the right decision on his fit with their vision.

Johnnie Bryant is currently an associate coach in Cleveland. Their recent collapse has everyone second-guessing that staff, but he’ll be a name that keeps coming up. Limited head coaching experience, never played in the NBA, but he’s shown he can make an impact on a bench. I’m skeptical, though sometimes you need to try something different to get results you haven’t been getting. He would not be my first choice, and maybe not even my second.

Kevin Young came out of nowhere as a candidate. Former assistant with the 76ers and Suns, and currently the head coach at BYU. If the Bulls had somehow landed the number 1 pick, or if Dybantsa fell to 4, I’d be all in. Continuity of his coaching staff would help with his development and keep him happy. Given the more likely reality that Dybantsa will not land in Chicago, you have to wonder what drove him into this conversation. Digging in, the appeal becomes clearer: he has a modern coaching philosophy, leans into analytics, and runs a threes-and-dunks system that, while not always championship-caliber, can boost win totals and let players play freely. Worth strongly considering.

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If I had my choice, I’d go with Chris Quinn. Miami has been considered one of the best-coached franchises in the league for years, warranted or not, that’s the reality, and Quinn embodies Heat Culture as well as anyone. When you play for him, you’re held accountable, the team comes first, and defense is the foundation. But it doesn’t stop there; he develops players offensively too, preaching efficiency and pace. He’s composed, he builds confidence in his players, and he’s been in the conversation for head coaching jobs before. It might finally be Chicago’s turn to make that call.

The coaching search hasn’t gone smoothly, with some of my preferred targets already off the board before Chicago could move. But the remaining candidates aren’t without merit, and the criteria for this hire are clear: player development over win-now pressure, accountability without rigidity, and a system that gives young players room to grow. Quinn is the best fit on paper and in practice. The search doesn’t need to be complicated; it just needs to end with the right call.

Bryson, the Chicago Bulls fanbase has been patient, perhaps more patient than we should have been. We have watched mediocrity be repackaged as progress, and potential be mistaken for a plan, for long enough. What we’re asking for isn’t a championship tomorrow. We’re asking for a direction, a real one, and the conviction to follow it through. This city knows what it looks like when a franchise gets it right. We’ve seen the banners. We know what’s possible. The draft capital is there, the roster flexibility exists, and for the first time in years, the fanbase is willing to believe again. Don’t waste it. Give us something to be proud of.