Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain had the opportunity to meet former Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.
The future of the Chicago Bulls' franchise rests largely on the shoulders of the organization's two rookies, No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson and No. 15 overall pick Dailyn Swain.
Wilson and Swain are 20 and 21 years old, respectively, and while Bryson Graham has lauded their maturity, both still have much to learn about being NBA players. That includes putting in the work and pushing themselves further than they previously believed to be possible.
On Saturday morning, the Bulls shared a clip of the two rookies meeting franchise legend Derrick Rose, whose No. 1 jersey was raised to the United Center rafters in January. Rose let Wilson and Swain know what it takes to be great in the league.
"Make sure you put in that work, man," Rose told Swain. "Make sure there are no regrets at the end, my guy. Make sure you give your all. Sacrifice something. It's a whole nither step now."
The message seemed to resonate with both players as they worked out, especially Swain.
"DRose is a legend, everybody knows that," Swain said. "I grew up watching the mixtape of Derrick Rose. I used to watch that so many times as a kid, so to be able to meet him after his playing career, it was crazy."
Jul 7, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls 2026 NBA Draft first round picks Dailyn Swain, 15th, and Caleb Wilson, 4th, prior to a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images For Wilson, Rose had a simple question: What are you going to sacrifice? The Bulls' vice president of player personnel, Acie Law, told Rose that Wilson was "cut from the same cloth" as he was.
Rose was the No. 1 overall pick in 2008 and quickly rose to NBA stardom. He became the youngest player ever to win the Most Valuable Player award in 2011 and was a three-time All-Star from 2010 to 2012. Although his career was altered by knee injuries, Rose was still an iconic player who embodied Chicago Bulls basketball in the 21st century.
Wilson is a native of Atlanta, Ga., and was the fourth pick in this summer's NBA Draft. The forward has been adamant that he will achieve greatness, even saying that he's ready to be the next "G.O.A.T." in Chicago.
Swain, meanwhile, has been more soft-spoken since being selected No. 15 overall in June. The Texas Longhorns product averaged 17.3 points per game last season as one of the most efficient self-creating wings in the nation. However, he struggled during the Las Vegas Summer League, shooting just 4-of-31 (12.9%) across four games.
The best Chicago Bulls teams of the 2010s weren't carried by Rose alone. He teamed up with players like Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson, who helped him lead Chicago to annual playoff berths and one trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Likewise, the Bulls will need to lean on more than Wilson and Swain during their rebuild. Forward Matas Buzelis and point guard Josh Giddey are also key figures in Chicago's future, and veterans Norman Powell and Nic Claxton should help accelerate the team's development as well.
