Chandler was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the second overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, before being immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls for former No. 1 overall pick Elton Brand. The Bulls placed their rebuilding efforts on the backs of two teenagers in Chandler and Eddy Curry. Chandler's 2003–04 season saw him appear in a career-low 35 games. He missed two months early in the season with a bad back, before missing the final weeks of the season after landing hard on his back on March 27 against the Atlanta Hawks. In September 2005, Chandler signed a six-year deal with the Bulls. In July 2006, the Bulls looked to deal away Chandler, who had five years and $54 million left on his contract, in order to pursue Ben Wallace.