The Chicago Bulls are projected to take North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but the team is also weighing a trade-back path that could put Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. in play.
That is why Brown is drawing attention now: Chicago is bringing the 20-year-old in for an individual workout, and the possibility that the Bulls could move down and target him has become part of the conversation around their draft board. For a team trying to sort out how it wants to shape the future of its backcourt, the choice between staying put for Wilson or sliding back for Brown has real consequences.
Brown’s case is built on production. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard averaged 18.2 points at Louisville and shot 41.0 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from 3-point range. He also flashed at the U19 FIBA World Cup, where he led Team USA with 14.9 points per game and hit 46.7 percent from three. One draft evaluation described Brown as a three-level scorer and playmaker whose ceiling trails only Darryn Peterson in this class.
He also has the kind of game that can change a room in one night. On Feb. 9 last season, Brown scored 45 points and buried 10 threes against NC State, a reminder of how explosive he can be when his shot is falling. That is the upside Chicago is studying as it decides whether Brown is worth trading back for rather than waiting at No. 4.
The hesitation is just as clear. Brown played only 21 games in his lone season at Louisville while dealing with a lingering back injury, and that limited run leaves teams to balance what he has shown against how much he has been able to stay on the floor. Bryson Graham, the Bulls’ new executive vice president of basketball operations, may prefer Brown’s skill set to Josh Giddey’s fit, which makes the workout more than a routine stop on the pre-draft calendar.
For now, Chicago is sitting at the center of two different draft ideas: take Wilson as projected, or trade back and make Brown the target. The next move will say more about how the Bulls see their point guard future than any mock draft ever could.
