NEWSLETTER
Grab your rabbit’s foot! Find that four-leaf clover! Eat a big old bowl of Lucky Charms! Hell, sleep with a ping pong ball under your pillow! The 2021 NBA Draft Lottery is tomorrow night!
The Chicago Bulls traded their first-round pick to the Orlando Magic in their package for All-Star center Nikola Vucevic. I think it’s fair to say that when the move was made, Arturas Karnisovas did not expect to finish the season outside the playoffs with the 8th-best lottery odds. But, fortunately, he considered the possibility.
The Bulls’ 2021 draft pick is top-4 protected, and the organization holds a 20.3 percent at landing in that range. Those odds are the same as the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings, two teams who finished with the same record as Chicago this season.
Here is where all lottery teams stand heading into tomorrow’s drawing:
• Houston – 52.1 percent chance at Top-4, 14.0 percent chance at No. 1
• Detroit – 52.1%, 14.0%
• Orlando – 52.1%, 14.0%
• OKC – 45.1%, 11.5%
• Cleveland – 45.1%, 11.5%
• Minnesota – 37.2%, 9.0%
• Toronto – 31.9%, 7.5%
• Chicago – 20.3%, 4.5%
• Sacramento – 20.3%, 4.5%
• New Orleans – 20.3%, 4.5%
• Charlotte – 8.5%, 1.8%
• San Antonio – 8.0%, 1.7%
• Indiana – 4.8%, 1.0%
• Golden State – 2.4%, 0.5%
I know a 20.3 percent chance to keep the pick doesn’t feel great, and I know grabbing the No. 1 selection with only a 4.5 percent chance feels impossible, but you never know what the lottery gods have up their sleeves. Last season, the Bulls moved into the Top-4 after holding only the 7th-best odds (31.9 percent). Of course, we also can’t forget when the Bulls snatched the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft despite just a 1.7 percent chance. So while I’m not advising anyone to get their hopes up, we should remember that plenty of lottery night chaos has taken place before.
General manager Marc Eversley will be the face Bulls fans see when the news breaks. The Bulls tagged their new No. 2 to represent the organization after Karnisovas held the job last offseason. Eversley will be joined by a list of notable names, including Ben Wallace for the Pistons, Hakeem Olajuwon for the Rockets, and Nazr Mohammed for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Full list of draft lottery reps. Marc Eversley in some strong (virtual) company. pic.twitter.com/yYLno0jzqc
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) June 21, 2021
I would not be surprised if I’m a sweaty monster by the time the lottery starts tomorrow night, but I feel surprisingly dry right now. The season may have ended in a rather disappointing fashion, but the Bulls will still have Nikola Vucevic moving forward regardless of what happens on Tuesday. In my opinion, that’s still pretty sweet. Give me Jalen Suggs in addition to that, however, and it will be the Shaq-sized cherry on top.
See ya tomorrow!
