The Chicago Bulls have been a mixed bag since the calendar turned to 2026. The year began with a subpar stretch of basketball from the usual suspects, before February’s trade deadline purge, which many credit as the final straw for the front office. After losing four out of five outings headed into the February 5th cutoff, Arturas Karnisovas decided to finally pull the plug on what has been relatively the same core group for the last five years of mediocrity. In a hectic week that featured a league-high seven trades, the entire roster was overhauled in exchange for several second-round draft picks and expiring contracts, an underwhelming reward considering what the same bunch would have returned at the trade deadline in 2025. Nonetheless, the new-look Bulls have been a mystery box. Some nights, they’ve looked exactly as expected for a team that only retained three rotation players, and other nights, Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey have flashed elite-level chemistry and talent to drag Chicago to victory. Here’s where their 28-42 record on the year has landed them for the upcoming draft.
Stuck In The Middle Yet Again
Despite the first aggressive trade deadline toward either contention or a rebuild, the Bulls have found themselves in an eerily similar position as the season concludes. With their current standing, and currently on the verge of winning yet another game that’ll do more harm than good in the long run, they’re highly unlikely to crack the top-eight of the draft lottery odds. The most likely scenario sees Chicago land between the ninth and tenth slot when the lottery is held, meaning there’s a good chance they won’t be awarded a top-ten draft pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Not only does this remove them from the running for a top prospect, but it also jeopardizes their ability to attract talent via free agency. Without an appealing addition, the current group has few names that opposing players are eager to join forces with.
Devastating Bulls win tonight: no chance of catching the Grizzlies for No. 8 in the lottery, only a half-game ahead of the Bucks for No. 9. Most likely finishing 10th, losing the extra 6% shot at a top-4 pick. They tore down the roster and will barely improve their lotto odds.
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) March 17, 2026
The Silver Lining Of Meaningless Wins
Chicago’s main objective over the next dozen outings should be to go 0-12. Since they will not be qualifying for the play-in tournament for a fourth consecutive season, and any victories worsen their odds at landing a top draft pick, losing should be the goal. Next on the list should be testing the waters with the newly acquired assets on expiring contracts to determine which players are worthy of a long-term investment. In addition, finding out which ones fit best with cornerstone pieces, Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey. In the six weeks that they’ve boasted a completely different set of faces, a few things have been determined. Buzelis is the future, Giddey is a mainstay, and Leonard Miller, Rob Dillingham, and Collin Sexton might be worth an extended stay. This month, Buzelis is posting a team-high 21.4 points per game, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per night. While being granted the most minutes and freedom of his career, the second-year forward is proving he’s worth building around.
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Matas Buzelis March 10, 2026:
41 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 16/28 FG, 5 3PM
career-high in points pic.twitter.com/ppLlbHzVcA
— BullsMuse (@BullsMuse_) March 11, 2026
Preferably in losing efforts, Buzelis’s development continues to shine through as a rare bright spot for Chicago’s future. Can the Bulls recreate some of the lottery luck they landed back in 2008, and potentially draft one of the young superstars currently showing out in the NCAA tournament?
