Caleb Wilson enters the 2026 NBA Draft projected as a top-five pick, and the path to Brooklyn now runs through the Chicago Bulls, who hold the No. 4 pick. The former North Carolina standout worked out for the Bulls last week and meets a draft board that could decide where his first NBA stop lands.
Fran Fraschilla put the Bulls' range plainly: “If Caleb Wilson ends up there, he’s going to be a face of that city.” He added that Wilson “believes he’s the best player in the draft,” a mindset Chicago can weigh against its own need at No. 4.
Chicago Bulls and No. 4
Wilson worked out for Chicago Bulls basketball operations staffers and met with Tiago Splitter. The workout gives Chicago a closer look at a player whose profile has already moved him into the top tier of the class, and it puts the Bulls in the middle of the draft's first major decision.
That decision comes Tuesday in Brooklyn at 8 p.m. ET when the 2026 NBA Draft begins. If the Bulls stay at No. 4, they are one of the clearest landing spots still in play for Wilson.
North Carolina season ends early
Wilson's stock was built on production at North Carolina. In 24 games, he averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks, shot 57.8% overall and posted 11 double-doubles.
He also reached double figures in points in every game and joined Tyler Hansbrough as the only freshmen to lead the Tar Heels in scoring, rebounding and steals. He became the third Tar Heels freshman to earn first-team All-ACC honors.
Injury gap before Brooklyn
The complication sits right next to the production. Wilson missed the Tar Heels' final nine games after a broken bone in his left hand against Miami in February and a broken right thumb in practice in March, cutting short a season that had already pushed him into first-round territory.
He measured 6-foot-9¼ without shoes at the Draft combine in May, with a 9-foot standing reach and a 7-foot-and-¼ wingspan. Two weeks after attending the Finals, he hosted a clinic for students in grades 7-12 in his hometown of Atlanta before heading to New York for the draft, carrying the same message he gave those students: “Be grateful for the opportunities that you have and cherish the time you have right now.”
The question now is whether Chicago turns that profile into the No. 4 pick, or lets Brooklyn push Wilson somewhere else in the first round.
