For the NBA teams remaining in the postseason, it’s all about winning a championship. For those eliminated thus far, all eyes are on the offseason. And for the 14 franchises who failed to qualify for the playoffs, the most important event of the summer is rapidly approaching—the NBA Draft Lottery. Unfortunately, the Chicago Bulls fall under none of those categories.
The Bulls ended the season as the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference, and because they lost in the Play-In Tournament, their name will be entered into the lottery with the 11th-best odds. However, they don’t own their pick. Instead, their selection will be handed over to the Orlando Magic unless it lands in the top four.
Fresh off his rookie season, Dalen Terry will be representing the Bulls at the event, sitting on stage hoping to see Chicago’s pick skyrocket to the top.
With the way the odds played out, the Bulls have a 1.8 percent chance of getting the first-overall pick, a 2.0 percent chance at the second pick, a 2.2 percent chance at the third pick, and a 2.5 percent chance at the fourth pick. If they strike gold, they would keep their pick and owe the Magic their 2024 first with top-three protections.
Chicago traded the pick to Orlando at the 2021 NBA trade deadline in the deal that saw them land big man Nikola Vucevic and forward Al-Farouq Aminu. They also shipped out Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and a 2021 first-rounder (that became Franz Wagner).
Last season, the Vucevic addition, combined with the signing of DeMar DeRozan and other key pieces, paid dividends in the form of Chicago’s first playoff birth since 2017. But this season, they failed to reach that goal.
Bulls fans still have some reason to tune in to the Lottery, but with an accumulative 9.5 percent chance they keep their pick, there isn’t much hope.
The NBA Draft Lottery will occur on Tuesday, May 16, beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN.
