The second round of the 2026 NBA Draft is starting to lose whatever luster it had left.
The Chicago Bulls--for the first time in quite a while--enter the NBA Draft armed with several draft picks. Chicago possesses the 4th, 15th, 38th and 56th overall picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. Much has been discussed about the two 1st round selections, but the two 2nd round picks provide the opportunity for the Bulls to add a legitimate center prospect to help bolster their frontcourt.
That is what makes the news surrounding 7-foot-4 center prospect Luigi Suigo so disappointing. The intriguing Italian center prospect has committed to Villanova.
Under the previous regime, the Bulls very rarely hit on their 2nd round picks, in the event that they even held onto them long enough to use them. Chicago frequently sold off their 2nd round picks despite intriguing talent residing there.
Missing out on 2nd round picks isn't of extreme importance for most teams, but when you're a middling franchise, winning on the margins becomes paramount.
The bad news is, right as the Bulls bring in a new-look front office spearheaded by Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham, the makeup of the 2nd round seems to be shifting due to the sweeping changes at the NCAA level of basketball.
Chicago needs a center. This is no secret around the league, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at the Bulls current depth chart at the five and determine that more talent is needed in the paint.
Jalen Smith, Nick Richards and/or Guerschon Yabusele won't cut it if the Bulls plan to get back to winning consistently, although some combination of those bigs could be intriguing if Chicago had a young center prospect in training for the starting role. I believe Suigo was making a strong case to be that exact prospect.
Suigo stands at 7-foot-4 inches and 289 lbs. at 19 years old, obviously massive measurements for a center prospect. Suigo's size and versatility make him look extremely intriguing on paper when you consider the recent uptick of giant and effective big men in the NBA.
Players like Victor Wembanyama, Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan figure to be big--no pun intended--factors in the postseason for at least the next five years (assuming their teams continue an upwards trajectory).
Suigo only played 18 MPG this past season for KK Mega Bemax, averaging 8.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.0 BPG on 55.8% shooting from the field and 30% from the 3-point line on 1.9 attempts per game. It was obviously a limited sample size, but Suigo is projecting to be the exact type of floor-spacing and rim protecting unicorn that every NBA team covets.
No doubt that Suigo's stock will rise after a year playing for the Villanova Wildcats in an intriguing Big East. But the absence of Suigo's from this draft class reflects a 2nd round that is starting to thin out.
As the draft withdrawals pile up and the 2nd round continues to look uninteresting, using those two 2nd round picks as a part of a larger package to trade up starts to look more like a sound idea considering the Bulls current draft capital.
