Bulls hoping for some non-Magic at NBA Draft Lottery
It's literally all or nothing for the Bulls when they participate in Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery.
If they are lucky enough to move up to one of the top four picks, it will be an unexpected bonus that could potentially change the trajectory of the franchise.
If they don't move up, the pick goes to Orlando as part of the Nikola Vucevic trade, and the Bulls will have no first-rounder this year.
If they end up keeping this year's pick, next year's first-rounder will go to Orlando, along with the 2023 pick.
By finishing 31-41, the Bulls tied for the league's eighth-worst record with Sacramento and New Orleans. Had they managed to lose their season finale against Milwaukee, they'd have slightly better odds, but it's a longshot either way.
The Bulls have a 4.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and a 20.3% chance to landing one of the top four picks, according to the league. After drawing for the top four picks in the 2021 draft, every other team will be lined up in reverse order of record.
So if they don't move up, the pick will likely end up between No. 8 or 10 and go to Orlando. The Bulls actually won a three-way coin flip with the Pelicans and Kings, which could be good news for the Magic.
If no team outside the bottom seven moves up, Orlando will pick eighth.
The Bulls do have a second-round pick in the July 29 NBA Draft. It will fall in reverse order of how things shake out in the first round among the Bulls, Pelicans and Kings, so either No. 38, 39 or 40 overall.
The projected top-five draft prospects haven't changed much since the start of the college season.
The group includes Oklahoma State 6-foot-8 guard Cade Cunningham, Gonzaga 6-4 guard Jalen Suggs, USC 7-foot center Evan Mobley and two players from the G-League Select squad: 6-6 guard Jalen Green and 6-6 guard Jonathan Kuminga.
Houston, Detroit and Orlando, with its own pick, have the best odds to win the lottery at 14% each, followed by Oklahoma City and Cleveland at 11.5%.
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