The Chicago Bulls Will Be the Biggest Portland Trail Blazers Fan Tonight

While the Bulls may be missing the Play-In Tournament for the first time in three years, plenty of fans will still be glued to the TV.

The Portland Trail Blazers might as well be the most important team in Chicago tonight. A 7-3 finish to the 2025-26 campaign pushed them ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers and into the No. 8 spot in the standings. This means they are set to face the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday for a chance at clinching a spot in the playoffs. Win, and they will represent the West's No. 7 seed in a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.

For the Trail Blazers, this would mark their first playoff appearance since the 2020-21 season, when they lost in the first round. The rebuild has been methodical, as they have gone in several different directions to add impact talent to their current roster. Shaedon Sharpe, Donovan Clingan, and Toumani Camara were key draft picks. Deni Avdija and Jrue Holiday were acquired via trade. Jerami Grant was signed in free agency.

In many ways, Portland's roster serves as a prime example of all the effort and patience that must go into a rebuild. But they also could be far more than just a blueprint for the Bulls. As the franchise gets set to embark on a new journey with a new front office, the Trail Blazers have a chance to gift them an additional first-round pick.

Are the Chicago Bulls Finally Getting Portland's Pick?

Feb 22, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan (23) celebrates a shot against the Phoenix Suns in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Clinching a trip to the postseason in any capacity for Portland means forking over a first-rounder to the Chicago Bulls. The organization acquired the future draft capital all the way back in the Lauri Markkanen trade from 2021. It was a three-team deal that sent the now Utah Jazz forward to Cleveland, while Larry Nance Jr. ended up with the Trail Blazers. The Bulls would end up receiving Derrick Jones Jr. and a future lottery-protected first-round pick from Portland.

To be clear, the pick has until 2028 to convey, which means this isn't the only chance for the Bulls to end up with an extra selection in the first round. But what better offseason to cash in on this perk than now?

The 2026 NBA Draft is one of the deepest in years. Not to mention, the franchise is now in the thick of significant change. An extra pick – which should fall just outside the lottery at No. 15 – gives a new front office leader another valuable asset to immediately make this roster their own. Let's also not forget that the Bulls have their hands on the Pelicans' second-round selection, as well, which currently sits 38th.

If the Trail Blazers do lose to the Suns in Phoenix tonight, the Bulls fandom will not die. The benefit of stealing the No. 8 seed from Los Angeles was that Portland gets two bites of the apple. And one of those could even come on their home court! A loss means they will host the winner of Warriors-Clippers later this week for the No. 8 seed and the right to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 1. If they can't manage to pull off either one of these two games, they will keep their pick and re-enter the lottery.

Such a young team, it's certainly possible that the Trail Blazers stumble against two more experienced squads. But this is also a unit that has played some of its best basketball in recent weeks and has only gotten healthier. In fact, over the last 15 games of the regular season, nobody in the NBA had a better net rating than the Trail Blazers. This bodes well for their chances at snapping their playoff drought, as well as the Bulls' chances of adding some much-needed young talent!

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X for the latest news

Add us as a preferred source on Google