The Chicago Bulls Just Moved Slightly Closer to Adding a First-Round Pick

The Chicago Bulls woke up to some good news on Saturday.

Thanks to a tight 108-104 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Portland Trail Blazers have climbed the Western Conference leaderboards. They have now moved into the No. 8 seed and sit just one game out from the .500 mark. The bump comes after a 6-4 stretch in their last ten games, which also features three-straight wins.

To be sure, Portland only sits ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers now by a half-game. It's also extremely unlikely that they manage to catch the Phoenix Suns for the No. 7 spot. Devin Booker and Company sit 4.5 games ahead with just a few weeks left in the regular season.

However, securing the No. 8 seed would still feel significant for both the young Trail Blazers and the rebuilding Bulls. It would mean the Trail Blazers have two chances to advance to the postseason for the first time since 2020-21. Win the first game against the Suns, and you're in. Lose, and you have a chance to take down either the Clippers or Warriors for the No. 8 seed.

No matter the seed, though, the Bulls would be thrilled as owners of the Trail Blazers' lottery-protected pick. They first acquired the selection in 2021 during the Lauri Markkanen three-team trade. The Cavaliers got their hands on the former Bulls forward, while the Trail Blazers got Larry Nance Jr. and sent Derrick Jones Jr. and the future first-rounder to Chicago. Of course, it's been years since this transaction went down, but the Bulls were able to lock that potential pick in until 2028.

Feb 26, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Isaac Okoro (35) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) during the second half of an NBA game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The good news is that means the Bulls still have a shot at the pick conveying in the future, even if it fails to come through in the coming weeks. Still, it's never been closer to landing in their lap than right now, which is certainly an exciting development when considering how deep this draft appears to be. Not to mention, if the Trail Blazers were able to sneak in at this point, the pick is essentially guaranteed to fall right after the lottery in that 15-18 range. So we're not just talking about any additional first-rounder here.

Yes, the Clippers or Warriors could still knock them back down a peg and force them to win back-to-back games in the Play-In Tournament. But there is no question that the schedule is on their side. For roughly the last month, the Trail Blazers have held arguably the NBA's easiest strength of schedule. And this isn't going to change any time soon. Tankathon still has Portland as having the second-easiest slate over the next 11 games. This includes matchups with the Nets, Wizards, and Pelicans.

Most importantly, the Trail Blazers still have two meetings with the Clippers. These two games will essentially dictate who ends up where in the Play-In Tournament. Los Angeles has won their first two battles with Portland this season, but the Clippers have hit a rough patch over the last week. They have lost four straight games, which included back-to-back losses to the Pelicans. Now, Kawhi Leonard did miss two of those four games, but it's still noteworthy as both teams jockey for positioning.

Especially as the Bulls throw their draft positioning out the window, Chicago fans might as well turn their attention to the West race. While plenty of things have to go right, Portland locking in a postseason berth would give Chicago that much more to work with as they head into a crucial offseason.

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