Chicago Bulls Lock In 2026 Lottery Odds & Move Closer to Adding First-Round Pick

With a 149-128 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night, you can officially tie an oversized, ugly bow on the 2025-26 Chicago Bulls season.

The team finished 31-51, marking their fewest wins since the 2020-21 campaign. They also finished outside the postseason picture for the first time since that same season. After cracking a first-round series in 2021-22, they would go on to appear in three consecutive Play-In Tournaments, only to lose each time to the Miami Heat.

Being stuck in the middle is arguably the worst place to be in today's NBA, and this is precisely why the organization's front office got the boot over the last week. Their inability to put the Bulls on a more definitive path finally caught up to them. And the Bulls were on the brink of still feeling the ramifications of their incompetence on Sunday night.

Indeed, heading into the season finale, far too much was on the line. A Bucks loss and a Bulls win would have meant a coin flip to decide who earned the No. 9 spot in next month's NBA Draft Lottery. Considering the Bulls have refused to angle for lottery odds in the past, beating a 25-win Dallas Mavericks team certainly didn't feel out of the question.

Apr 12, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan speaks with Chicago Bulls guard Mac McClung (5) during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

To the Bulls' credit, however, they did the right thing for their future. The team's loss to the Mavericks locked them into the better draft odds, which now officially gives them a 20.3 percent shot at a Top 4 pick and a 4.5 percent chance at No. 1 overall. If they ended up winning and losing a coin flip to Milwaukee, they would have seen their odds at Top 4 drop by over 6.0 percent.

But that's not the only thing that worked in Chicago's favor on Sunday. Owners of a Portland Trail Blazers lottery-protected pick, the Bulls were hoping the Trail Blazers would manage to stay at No. 8 in the Western Conference standings. They came into the evening tied with the Los Angeles Clippers, meaning a loss to the Kings and a Clippers victory over the Warriors would have swapped their spots.

To be clear, locking in the No. 8 seed doesn't mean the Trail Blazers have to hand their pick to Chicago just yet. Instead, it strictly increases their chance of making the playoffs, as they now have two opportunities to clinch a series. If they had dropped down to No. 9, they would have been forced to win two straight to steal a playoff seed. Portland can now afford to lose its opening matchup against Phoenix and still have a chance to host Round 2 of the Play-In and make the playoffs.

All things considered, this means Sunday went about as well as it could have for Chicago Bulls fans. Not only did the team maintain sole possession of the No. 9 odds, but they moved one step closer to securing a second first-round pick in a deep 2026 NBA Draft. Both facts could prove incredibly important when it comes to attracting the cream of the crop to Chicago's front office openings. The more you have to work with, the more attractive the job will be!

Final NBA Lottery Standings

1. Washington Wizards (17-65) – 52.1% at Top 4, 14.0% at No. 1
2. Indiana Pacers (19-63) – 52.1%, 14.0%
3. Brooklyn Nets (20-62) – 52.1%, 14.0%
4. Utah Jazz (22-60) – 45.2%, 11.5%
– Sacramento Kings (22-60) – 45.2%, 11.5%
6. Memphis Grizzlies (25-57) – 37.2%, 9.0%
7. Atlanta Hawks via Pelicans (26-56) – 29.3%, 6.8%
8. Atlanta Hawks via Pelicans (26-54) – 29.3%, 6.8%
9. Chicago Bulls (31-51) – 20.3%, 4.5%
10. Milwaukee Bucks (32-50) – 13.9%, 3.0%
11. Golden State Warriors (37-45) – 9.4%, 2.0%
12. Oklahoma City Thunder via LA (42-40) – 7.1%, 1.5%
13. Miami Heat (43-39) – 4.8%, 1.0%
14. Charlotte Hornets (44-38) – 2.4%, 0.5%

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