Chicago Bulls
The Bulls held a pre-draft workout on Tuesday for Keaton Wagler (Illinois), Kingston Flemings (Houston), Nate Ament (Tennessee) and Morez Johnson (Michigan), according to league sources cited by Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports. Chicago owns the Nos. 4, 15, 38 and 56 selections in the June 23-24 draft. Wagler, Flemings and Ament are projected lottery picks, while Johnson has climbed into the top-14 conversation.
Because none of the four prospects is expected to be taken in the top four, rival front offices are monitoring whether Chicago might trade down from No. 4 or package assets to move up from No. 15 for a second lottery slot, O’Connor reports.
Separately, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times evaluated the team’s forwards under contract. Cowley writes that Leonard Miller’s $2.4 million team option should be exercised after a strong finish to last season. He adds that the Bulls would likely move on from Patrick Williams, but the $54 million owed to Williams over the next three years makes a deal difficult.
Indiana Pacers
Indiana originally scheduled Purdue guard Braden Smith and California forward Chris Bell for Friday’s group workout, but the team announced replacements: UMBC guard DJ Armstrong and Kansas guard Tre White. No explanation was provided. Although the Pacers currently do not control a 2026 draft pick, they could still acquire one before draft night. Smith, an Indiana native and two-time consensus All-American, is No. 38 on ESPN’s big board.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers enter the offseason with salary-cap challenges after a disappointing 2025-26 season, Yossi Gozlan writes in his Third Apron Substack preview. Cleveland was the lone club to finish above the second tax apron, a status that freezes the team’s 2033 first-round pick from trades for multiple years. Reducing payroll below the second apron is expected to be a priority, potentially through a reduced cap hit for James Harden. Operating between the first and second aprons would restore the ability to aggregate salaries in trades and ease other restrictions.
Source: Hoops Rumors
