It’s NBA Draft Lottery Day (And I’m Ready To Be Hurt Again)
When I started at Bleacher Nation a few months ago, one of my first assignments was to write up the pregame and preview posts for Bulls games. And while I’ve always followed the team closely, it wasn’t until I started covering them for Bleacher Nation that I realized just HOW frustrating and painful they can be.
Every single time I thought there was the slightest reason for optimism, or that a turnaround was on the horizon …BOOM! A 20-point loss to Charlotte. Oh, we’re leading the Pacers by 20+ points at the half? How about multiple second-half collapses. Wow! The Bulls went on the road and finally beat Joel Embiid and Philly? That’s great! Two nights later, the Sixers come into the United Center and begin the game on a 23-1 run. Thud.
But I’m a Bulls fan through and through, so I keep coming back. And tonight, my hope is all bundled up in the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. I’m ready to be hurt again.
It’s a Chicago Thing
Chicago sports teams have had some big (and unlikely) off-season successes with respect to the draft in the last few months. Ryan Poles flipped the Bears’ #1 pick (thanks, Lovie!) into several other draft picks and assets, including D.J. Moore. The Blackhawks defied the odds to win the NHL draft lottery and will end up with Connor Bedard (in addition to several 2023 draft picks). Wouldn’t it be fitting, after getting the slightest bit of hope from the Bears and Blackhawks, for this year’s Bulls to fall way short and hand their pick to Orlando (more on that below)?
On Monday, I wrote a little bit about who SHOULD win the lottery and get to draft generational talent Victor Wembanyama. But with the lottery being today, let’s get real and look at the odds.
NBA Draft Lottery Odds
| Lottery Probability | Record | Win Percentage | |
| Detroit | 14.0% | 17-65 | .207 |
| Houston | 14.0% | 22-60 | .268 |
| San Antonio | 14.0% | 22-60 | .268 |
| Charlotte | 12.5% | 27-55 | .329 |
| Portland | 10.5% | 33-49 | .402 |
| Orlando | 9.0% | 34-48 | .415 |
| Indiana | 6.8% | 35-47 | .427 |
| Washington | 6.7% | 35-47 | .427 |
| Utah | 4.5% | 37-45 | .451 |
| Dallas* | 3.0% | 38-44 | .463 |
| Chicago** | 1.8% | 40-42 | .488 |
| Oklahoma City | 1.7% | 40-42 | .488 |
| Toronto | 1.0% | 41-41 | .500 |
| New Orleans | 0.5% | 42-40 | .512 |
NBA Draft Lottery Broadcast Info
- When: Tuesday, May 16th at 7:00 pm CT
- Where: McCormick Place, Chicago IL
- How: Broadcast live on ESPN & ESPN+
NBA Draft Big Board
| School | Position | |
| Victor Wembanyama | France | C |
| Scoot Henderson | G League Ignite | PG |
| Brandon Miller | Alabama | F |
| Cam Whitmore | Villanova | F |
| Amen Thompson | Overtime Elite | F |
| Ausar Thompson | Overtime Elite | F |
| Cason Wallace | Kentucky | PG |
| Anthony Black | Arkansas | PG |
| Jarace Walker | Houston | F |
| Gradey Dick | Kansas | F |
Where Do The Bulls Stand
As I mentioned, the Bulls’ chances at the top pick aren’t looking good at just 3%. However, the Bulls won the Derrick Rose lottery with worse odds of just 1.7%. So, you know … never say never.
In order to keep their 2023 first-round pick, the Bulls will have to get lucky and land inside the top four. Thanks to the Nikola Vucevic trade, the Magic own the Bulls’ 1st Round pick this season, though that pick is top-four protected. Chicago has an 8.5% chance of securing a top-four selection – a 2.5% chance at the fourth overall pick, a 2.21% chance at the third overall pick, a 1.98% chance at the second overall pick, and a 1.8% chance at the first overall pick.
As far as the second round, things don’t get much better for the Bulls. As of now, the Bulls don’t possess a second-rounder. Their 2023 second-round pick was sent to Washington as part of the Otto Porter Jr trade, and the Nuggets’ second-round pick they own from the Lauri Markkanen trade will be forfeited as punishment for Lonzo Ball tampering. So if the Bulls want to make any draft pick this year, it’ll take some serious luck or a trade back in.
So here goes nothing, I’ll get my hopes on this Bulls team one last time. What could possibly go wrong?
