The eyes of the Illinois basketball faithful will be on the Barclays Center on June 23, as fans will be waiting to see which NBA team will select superstar freshman Keaton Wagler in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Wagler, a former three-star recruit from Shawnee, Kansas, became the face of the Illini last season during their trip to the Final Four. The 6-foot-6 guard was sensational as Illinois' top scorer, averaging 17.9 points per game on 44.5% shooting from the field.
The Big Ten freshman of the Year officially declared for the draft on April 11 of this year after one successful season with Illinois, and was originally projected to be a top-5 pick. But now, some mock drafts have Wagler dropping to pick No. 8.
It has been a slight fall from grace for Wagler, with his potential suitors being a bit up in the air. But recently, reports have started to speculate that the Kansas product may stay home in Illinois, with the Chicago Bulls projected to trade up and take him in the top 10, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
"If the Bulls were to trade up into the top 10, multiple personnel have stated that they believe such a move would be made for Illinois guard Keaton Wagler."
Latest on what I am hearing regarding the Bulls progressing into the final stages of their coaching search, as well as talk about Chicago attempting to move up from the No. 15 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft @ClutchPoints: https://t.co/fTkooaBKg7
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) June 10, 2026
Last season, the Bulls had one of their most volatile seasons to date, with various roster moves proving that the franchise was in the midst of yet another rebuild. They saw a multitude of changes to their roster, with head coach Billy Donovan stepping down after six seasons, as well as former Illini Ayo Dosunmu being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 5.
The Bulls are in complete disarray as of writing this, as they will look to start from the ground up, constructing their team. They already have the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, which they will most likely use to take North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson.
Caleb Wilson and Keaton Wagler in Chicago would be the perfect start to a Bulls rebuild
The Bulls have not given fans a reason to celebrate in recent years, with this once-proud franchise recording a record over .500 once in the past ten seasons. They have been less than average for the longest time and are desperately looking for a major turnaround.
The Bulls need to make a statement to help push them in the right direction, and trading up to draft Wagler would do just that. A talent like Wagler would be the perfect complementary piece to Wilson, as Chicago will look to build around the two of them for the future.
Granted, this can be seen as a risky move to some fans, as they will basically be gambling a large portion of their future on one player, but with their recent failures in the draft, the new regime that is taking over this team needs to be aggressive with their roster construction.
Simply put, Wilson and Wagler have all the makings to be a dominant 1-2 punch in the NBA, but we just need Bulls fans to believe in it.
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