The Bulls picked up Australian forward Lachlan Olbrich with the No. 55 pick Thursday night after trading down in the second round of the NBA draft.

The Bulls made a swap Thursday morning with the Los Angeles Lakers, trading the No. 45 pick for the 55th pick and cash considerations.

A native of Adelaide, Olbrich started his professional career in the Australian National Basketball League in 2021 at age 17. He came to the U.S. and played one year of college basketball at UC Riverside, where he was named Big West Freshman of the Year after averaging 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists.

Despite that success with the Highlanders, Olbrich opted to return to Australia in 2023, signing with the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 8.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists last season with the Hawks.

Being drafted by the Bulls could mean an Australian reunion for Olbrich and guard Josh Giddey, who is expected to re-sign in restricted free agency.

The pair never overlapped with the Adelaide 36ers — Giddey departed the program in April 2021 to declare for the NBA draft, and Olbrich signed with the team six months later — but they followed a similar path through Australia’s developmental pipeline.

Olbrich is an interesting addition to the Bulls frontcourt. He brings an old-school motor in the post but doesn’t produce a ton of scoring or shot blocking — plus he’s a touch undersized at 6-foot-9, confining him to the power forward position.

His profile might sound somewhat similar to former Bull Adama Sanogo, who spent most of his tenure in Chicago with the G League’s Windy City Bulls after signing a two-way deal as an undrafted player in 2023. Olbrich is a bit more mobile than Sanogo and can rely more heavily on his passing and physicality to make an impact, but he’ll have a decent amount of development ahead of him before he can earn NBA minutes.

General manager Marc Eversley hinted after Wednesday’s first round that the Bulls were considering a trade down in the second round — and that the roster is expected to undergo further change before the season. Olbrich is expected to sign a two-way contract and would have to make a considerable impression throughout the season to muscle his way into NBA playing time.