Chicago Bulls Trade No. 38 Pick to Pacers for Second-Year Guard

The Bulls appeared poised to select their third prospect of the NBA Draft at No. 38 overall. Instead, that pick is headed elsewhere and Chicago is acquiring future assets.

Deputy commissioner Mark Tatum announced that the Bulls had selected Purdue point guard Braden Smith with the No. 38 pick in the second round on Wednesday night. However, the NCAA's all-time assist leader will actually suit up for the Indiana Pacers.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Bulls traded the rights to Smith for 24-year-old Pacers guard Kam Jones, future swaps and cash. Chicago also reportedly sent the No. 56 overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for cash considerations.

The Pacers did not have a pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, meaning Chicago's decision to deal with Indiana was not a trade back.

Jones' acquisition marks a swap of last year's No. 38 overall pick for this year's No. 38 pick. The 6-foot-4 guard appeared in 37 NBA games and made seven starts as a rookie for the gap-year Pacers. In 16.6 minutes per game, Jones averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 assists and 1.6 rebounds while shooting 48.9% on two-pointers and 29.3% from deep.

For Indiana's G League affiliate — the Noblesville Boom — Jones put up 14.5 points, 7.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in six regular season appearances.

The Pacers drafted Jones after a storied four-year career at Marquette. He earned Second Team All-Big East honors as a sophomore in 2023, then landed on the conference's First Team and secured consensus Second Team All-American honors as a senior in 2025. During his final season in Milwaukee, Jones averaged a career-best 19.2 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

Shooting appears to be an early weakness on this Bulls roster, and that hasn't changed after the team traded for Jones. Although he made 40.6% of his long-range shots as a junior, Jones' accuracy plummeted to 31.1% on triples in 2025. His rookie season reflected similar struggles, dipping under 30%.

During Tuesday night's first round, the Bulls landed a pair of high-upside athletes that could define the team for years to come. At No. 4, Chicago landed its projected franchise cornerstone in North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson, who is already embracing the expectations that come with his high draft standing. Eleven picks later, the Bulls selected lengthy Texas wing Dailyn Swain.

Wilson, Swain and Jones appear to be the focal points for the rebuilding Bulls' young core, joining Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Noa Essengue.