The Chicago Bulls finished the regular season with a 39-43 record, with the 18th-best record in the NBA. Chicago has finished with a losing record in the past three seasons. On a broader scale, the Bulls have only finished above .500 once in the last nine years.
Prior to Chicago's ghastly, almost-decade-long sub-500 stretch, 41-plus wins were the norm. The Bulls won at least 41 contests in nine straight seasons, dating from 2008 to 2017. The 2017-18 season saw former franchise pillar Jimmy Butler depart for Minnesota. With Butler out of the picture, Chicago turned to youth, acquiring Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Kris Dunn in the trade.
However, the infusion of youth took longer than expected to make an impact. The Bulls didn't net a playoff appearance until 2022, which would be their only appearance of the 2020s. Three years later, the Bulls have again prioritized youth and a rebuild. Chicago's best two players are 25 and 22 years old, with an up-and-coming soon-to-be sophomore entering the mix as Chicago's third-best player (sorry, Vooch). Optimism has only just begun to spread, with the core trio being 25 or younger.
An emerging core, with a soon-to-be lottery pick added to the fold, makes for an exciting future. While Chicago likely won't be rewarded with the first, or even a top-four pick, there's still a chance. For what it's worth, the Atlanta Hawks had merely a 3.0 percent chance of landing the first overall pick a season ago. Yet, somehow, it happened, and the Hawks came away with potential Rookie of the Year, Zaccharie Risacher.
The Bulls' odds of landing the first pick are 1.7 percent
Unlike the 2023-24 version of the Hawks, the Bulls don't have a 3.0 percent chance of landing the first pick. Chicago has only a 1.7 chance of drafting Cooper Flagg—the, without a doubt, best prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft class. The Bulls have the third-worst odds among lottery squads. Only the Sacramento Kings (0.8 percent) and Hawks (0.7 percent) have worse odds.
Moreover, the Bulls have a 1.9 percent chance of landing the second pick, 2.1 percent of third, and 2.4 percent of fourth. Thus, Chicago's odds of selection in the top four are 8.0 percent. Not the most inspiring, especially because if the Bulls had finished with the 10th-worst record, their odds would have doubled. The 10th-worst Portland Trail Blazers have a 16.9 percent chance of selecting within the top four.
On a positive note, Chicago nabbed All-Rookie contender Matas Buzelis with the 11th-overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Discouragement shouldn't arise if the Bulls don't land a top-10 selection. Potential All-Rookie Second Team selections, Bub Carrington and Kel'el Ware, were picked 14th and 15th, respectively. In an even deeper 2025 draft class, day-one contributors can be found throughout the entire first round.
All in all, Chicago likely stays put at 12th. The Bulls are 85.2 percent likely to retain the 12th spot in June's draft. The complete lottery odds are listed below. Note: The Bulls cannot land a selection between fifth and 11th.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago Bulls' Odds | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 85.2 | 6.6 | 0.1 |