Chicago Bulls Beat the Odds in Potential Franchise-Altering Draft Lottery (UPDATES)

Toni Kukoc was sporting sunglasses as he sat down on the podium at Navy Pier in Chicago. The Bulls' representative for the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, he must have had a feeling the future was bright.

In a shocking turn of events, the organization's 20.3 percent odds hit. Chicago moved from the No. 9 spot in the order up to the No. 4 spot in next month's NBA Draft. They saw a bigger jump than any team in the league, joining the Wizards, Jazz, and Grizzlies in the Top 4.

NBA Draft Lottery Order

1. Washington Wizards
2. Utah Jazz
3. Memphis Grizzlies
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Los Angeles Clippers
6. Brooklyn Nets
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Atlanta Hawks
9. Dallas Mavericks
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Miami Heat
14. Charlotte Hornets

It's a potential franchise-altering moment for the organization, which decided to move on from its previous front office regime only a month ago. New executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham was only introduced last week, and he has now instantly been gifted a Top 4 pick to start his new era. While a big deal no matter the prospect pool, there is no doubt this leap feels like an especially big win in 2026.

For well over a year, this has been considered one of the deepest drafts in quite some time. The Top 4, in particular, has been viewed as a true star-studded group. Darryn Peterson, AJ Dyabantsa, Cam Boozer, and Caleb Wilson make up a tantalizing quartet, and at least one will fall right into the Chicago Bulls' lap.

"We got lucky," Graham laughed. "A ton of excitement. As your watching the draft board go down and when they say the team and it's not you in that position. You're just like, 'wow, we did it. We jumped into the Top 4.' Just so much excitement, and it's a great first step in the process here."

Chicago Bulls Defy the Odds

May 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Rehearsal before the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Navy Pier. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bulls will now hold the No. 4 pick for the first time since the 2021 season – aka the same year that Arturas Karnisovas took over the organization. In other words, Bryson Graham will essentially have a chance to rewrite history and begin his tenure on a far better note. Karnisovas opened things up with the selection of Patrick Williams, whose struggles have been well-documented since entering the league.

With that said, the top of the 2021 NBA Draft wasn't viewed nearly as highly as this one. As important as every lottery may feel, this one held extra weight because of the talent at the top. All four are seen as potential cornerstone pieces, which would make adding any player to this Bulls' roster feel like a huge win. The previous regime chose to gut the team, leaving the new regime with just Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey as young building blocks. Even then, however, there is no guarantee that this new front office will value them as highly.

Indeed, this draft will be extremely telling when it comes to what the new-look Bulls value. There is also no question that whoever is selected at No. 4 will instantly become the priority for this front office in 2026-27. A giddy Graham didn't mince words when discussing how highly he views this class.

"This is crazy because it's such a deep draft. There is a lot of talent. It's deep. Obviously, there are a ton of names at the top of the draft that you do get excited about," Graham said. "You just want to have a chance. I'm of the thought that it doesn't matter where you pick, you're going to get the best player. But the odds working in your favor today, it does help."

But does it drastically change how Graham plans to approach things? Does he foresee the rebuild coming to an end sooner than expected? He wouldn't go that far, but he undoubtedly sounded optimistic about how this could help push them in the right direction.

“Let’s not sit here and say just because we have the fourth pick all of a sudden this franchise is back," Graham said. "You know what I mean? This is just a good opportunity to add high-level talent to our group and build this one, like I keep saying, layer it appropriately. It’s exciting, man. I can’t believe it. I just got the job, and I just got the fourth pick. It’s crazy."

The lottery luck will just give Graham another strong tool to instantly make this team his own. The lead exec will also have the No. 15 pick in the draft, nearly $60 million in cap space, and at least six open roster spots to fill. As far as building for the future goes, it's hard for Graham to ask for a better foundation.

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