Bulls Host Workout for Trio of Guard Prospects

The 2026 NBA Draft is fast approaching, and teams are finishing up their evaluations before the big--and now two-night--event. The Chicago Bulls are in about as good of a spot as you can be in for a team that is essentially starting from scratch across the board. Chicago brought in a new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations with a reputation as a great talent evaluator, Bryson Graham. 

Graham didn't rest on his laurels, almost immediately making several hires to bolster the new-look front office. Graham hired Stephen Mervis from the Orlando Magic, and Acie Law from the Brooklyn Nets. Mervis was hired as Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations and Law was brought in as the Vice President of Player Personnel.

And finally, Chicago hired Tiago Splitter as the 25th head coach in Bulls franchise history. Now comes the fun part, as the new-look Bulls must decide the best way to develop the large quantity (and quality) of young talent they will have. 

It has been oft-discussed at this point how North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson is expected to be the 4th overall pick to the Bulls. The top-3 picks have been debated ad nauseam, yet it is still impossible to project what will happen even starting with the Wizards at 1. If we know the Bulls are likely taking Wilson at 4, the conversation shifts to what will they do with their 15th overall pick, and I believe we have a better idea today.

Jake Fischer recently reported that this past Friday, the Chicago Bulls hosted Labaron Philon Jr., Christian Anderson Jr., and Meleek Thomas for a workout. 

This lines up with what I assumed Chicago' thinking would be, in terms of the presence of Josh Giddey not having an effect on their decision to draft a PG or not. 

All three of these guards fit into Graham's S.L.A.P. mantra. They are not the tallest guards in the draft but they all have +3 wingspans.

Anderson is coming off a stellar sophomore season at Texas Tech in which he improved across the board. He shot better from the field, 3-point range and the free throw line, all while leading the Big 12 in assists per game (7.4). 

Thomas was a terrific compliment to probable top-10 pick Darius Acuff at Arkansas. At 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-6 wingspan, Thomas used his long arms to rack up 1.5 steals per game in his lone year with the Razorbacks. 

Philon is one my favorite prospects personally, and the Bulls would be lucky in my opinion to grab him at 15. He, much like Anderson, improved across the board in his sophomore season. Philon shot 39.9% from 3-point range on an aggressive 6.2 attempts per game. He was a bulldog defender his freshman year, but saw that part of his game take a major step back as he took on more offensive responsibility. 

Any of the three aforementioned guards who be excellent value for the Bulls at 15th overall, and it showcases how stacked the 2026 class is in terms of guard prospects. The 2026 NBA Draft takes place Tuesday, June 23, and Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Round 1 begins Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at 7 p.m. CT (ABC, ESPN, ESPN App).