9. Chicago Bulls - Nolan Traore, G, France
By the time the 2025 NBA Draft rolls around, this Chicago Bulls roster could look a lot different than it looks at the moment. As they likely prepare for a start to their rebuild, anything and everything could be on the table for the team with a currently projected top-10 pick. Ideally, it would be best if the Bulls were able to get a higher pick but selecting at No. 9 could still bring in a talented prospect. One young player who could make sense for the Bulls is Nolan Traore, a Frenchman who is already beginning to flash some star potential.
Traore is still growing as a player but he's showing the ability to be a worthy lead-guard in the LNB Pro A with Saint-Quentin. With his natural skill set with the ball in his hands, Traore has the potential to make waves in this year's draft class. Assuming he's going to continue to develop over the next few months, he's certainly a name to keep a close eye on. For a Bulls team that is looking for a new talented core, Traore could be in consideration as a selection late in the top 10 of this year's class.
What is the biggest issue for the Chicago Bulls?
To be perfectly honest, the biggest issue for the Chicago Bulls is quite simple. This is probably a franchise that would like to head into a rebuild and one that may need to. However, they haven't been able to fully jump into one in large part because of their inability to trade Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. It may not seem like it, but their presence on the roster and their salary in their books play a big part in the team being unable to completely move forward as a franchise. It's hard for Chicago to jump into a rebuild with those two still on the roster.
The hope is that once the 2025 NBA Draft rolls around, much of that will be settled. That will happen if the Bulls can trade LaVine and/or Vucevic before the NBA Trade Deadline. Once that happens, it will open the door for a rebuild in Chicago. And if that does happen, finishing with a high draft pick this season could go a long way in helping this team get off on the right foot of the rebuild. Any prospect in the lottery could help on that front. Traore could make sense even with Josh Giddey on the roster.