This is one of the main pieces a lot of people seem to pin their hopes on for the future.

First off, the protections involved with this pick:

2013- top-12 protected
2014- top-10 protected
2015- top-8 protected
2016- unprotected

I figured we can keep an eye on anything involving Charlotte here and how it affects the Bulls.

The first big thing would be the draft lottery tomorrow. If Charlotte stays at #1, the Bulls could get that pick a lot sooner thanks to The Unibrow. If they slide, the Bulls could be looking at that 2016 unprotected pick since there aren't really any sure things after Davis.

Really...with our key knee being destroyed, we sit on this asset and see where it goes, unless someone offers the Bulls a Dwight Howard swap.

Bobcats picking 2nd in a 1-man draft this year. No quick turnaround here.

The best odds are probably for us to get it in 2016. Granted it's impossible to know for sure, every team tends to be one big acquisition away from the playoffs in the league nowadays.

There are two issues with that:

-I don't see many free agents clamoring to sign with Charlotte. If they do, it'll probably be a huge overpay.

-That leaves them with the draft, and even the best of the best usually need at least 2 years to peak. Since they missed on Davis this year, I think they're stuck being terrible for at least two more years. It's way too early to tell how many of those kind of talents will be in the next draft or two. Early buzz on 2013 is that it's a bad/shallow draft, 2014 will at least have Jabari Parker.

I have to imagine the Bulls will wind up trading this pick before 2016.

It's tempting to trade it, but I wouldn't take it lightly. Imagine 2016 coming around and getting a top 5 pick to add to an already great/expensive roster (I hope). You better be getting a legitimate player if you trade it away, not just moving up in the first round in a one man draft.

That pick is most valuable to teams like the Bulls who are cap locked with young talent.

I agree. I wouldn't be trading that pick unless it brought back a proven player who can legitimately help us win a championship. I don't see any way the Bobcats get much better than they are (for all of the reasons Zoom pointed out in his post above, and the fact that they're poorly run), so like you said, getting a Top 5 pick could be huge for a roster that is maxed out on cap space.

My concern would be them actually hitting on a draft pick in the next year or two and being just good enough to sneak out of those last couple of protections. It doesn't take that much to win 30, especially in the east. #10 type picks are far less sexy, especially if it's a weaker draft.