CHICAGO — One team in Chicago already has enjoyed some luck in getting a No. 1 overall pick in a lottery in May, now another is hoping for the same.
But the Bulls’ chances to get that top pick and a heralded young prospect are a little lower than what the Blackhawks had when they won the NHL Lottery.
On Tuesday, the team will be one of 14 that are part of the NBA Lottery which will take place in Chicago at 7 p.m. central time and will be televised by ESPN. It’s expected that the team that wins the lottery will select Victor Wembanyama, who is considered one of the best draft prospects in the last decade.
So what are the Bulls’ odds to get the No. 1 overall pick?
Thanks to a tie-breaking coin-flip over the Thunder, the Bulls have the 11th-best odds to get the top selection, having a 1.8% chance to win the lottery. The Pistons, Rockets, and Spurs, the three worst teams in the 2022-2023 season, each have a 14 percent chance to get the No. 1 overall pick.
The Bulls have won the lottery twice in their history, doing so in 1999 and 2008, with the latter applying in this situation. That year, the team had a 1.7 percent chance for the No. 1 overall pick but got some lottery luck, and the win on May 20 of that year gave them the opportunity to select Chicago native and future NBA MVP Derrick Rose.
Executive VP Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley will need at lead some luck to keep their first round pick in 2023. They traded their selection to the Magic in the Nikola Vucevic Trade in March 2021 but get it back if the selection lands in the top four.
Before NBA Lottery, the Bulls have an 8.5 percent chance of keeping their pick.
Here are the odds for the Bulls to get those selections in the draft.
- No. 2 Overall – 1.98 percent
- No. 3 Overall – 2.21 percent
- No. 4 Overall – 2.5 percent
A native of France, the seven-foot Wembanyama has been playing in that country’s top professional basketball league, LNB Pro A, since 2019. The 19-year-old, who is lauded for his play both inside and on the perimeter, averaged 21.6 points and 10.5 rebounds in 33 games for Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A.
