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Bulls Were a Tiebreaker Away From Having Mavericks' Spot in NBA Draft Lottery

Ryan Phillips

Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan reacts during a timeout in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena.
Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan reacts during a timeout in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. / David Richard-Imagn Images
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The Chicago Bulls just missed out on history.

The Bulls finished the 2024-25 season with the same record as the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams were 39-43, which meant a tiebreaker was needed to determine who got the higher draft odds. The Mavericks won the random draw and received the 11th-best odds to land the No. 1 pick, while the Bulls wound up 12th. And that made all the difference.

Chicago had a 1.7% chance of landing the top selection, and Dallas entered the night with a 1.8% chance. As we all know, the Mavericks won the lottery and the top pick. Had the random draw gone the other way, the Bulls would have landed the No. 1 selection and the chance to draft Duke's Cooper Flagg.

Instead of having the top pick and a potential superstar, Chicago will select 12th. That random draw cost the Bulls a franchise-changing player.

That one will sting for a while.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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