With last night’s loss, the Chicago Bulls nearly locked their draft positioning. The headlines only noted that they’re now officially eliminated from playoff contention, but fans in the Windy City have known this for several weeks. The most important thing to follow over the next three weeks is solidifying their draft lottery odds, which are nearly set depending on the Milwaukee Bucks’ finish to the year and the Portland Trail Blazers’ underdog story. Barring anything completely changing course down the stretch, they’ll hold the ninth or tenth-best odds in the lottery. If they end up selecting in that range, here are the top options for the pick, and what an extra selection via Portland would mean.
Chicago’s Pool Of Players In The Draft
With nearly an 80% chance to pick in either slot nine or ten, it’s fairly simple to hone in on who AK will have to choose from. With such a top-heavy draft class, regardless of the ending order of picks, this is a realistic preview of who will still be available.
Top Four: Pick your own order, but the majority of mock drafts have these elite talents gone by pick five. AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson, barring injury, will be the first four off the board.
Next Two Locks: Again, the order of teams selecting may alter the exact order, but the large majority of predictions show that these two players will also be gone by Chicago’s eighth or ninth pick. Kingston Flemings and Darius Acuff have flown up the charts, and whether it’s sneaking into the top-four or being grabbed in the five through seven range, these two star guards are sure to be selected prior to the Bulls.
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Chicago’s Wheelhouse: The next chunk of players is where the Bulls will have a decision to make. There’s a grouping of players that’re sure to go in the top ten, but doubtful to crack the top six. Nate Ament, Mikel Brown Jr., Brayden Burries, Keaton Wagler, and Koa Peat. If Arturas Karnisovas opts solely for the most talented players remaining, one of them will be selected. If he drafts for positional need, a center will be added to this list.
#Bulls will be mathematically eliminated from the play in with a loss against the Thunder
This will further lock us into a pick in the 8-9 range in this upcoming draft pic.twitter.com/dVwB9G7R4Q
— Just Another Year Chicago: Bulls (@JAYChi_Bulls) March 27, 2026
Clinging To A 20.2% Chance At The Top Four
While all signs point to the Bulls likely near the end of the top-ten in the upcoming draft, there is an outside chance they’re granted some good fortune and drawn to select in the top-four. This would be the biggest celebration in Chicago this decade, and it means one of the franchise-altering prospects in the draft is headed to help revive the historic organization. Last time they were awarded a top-five pick, Karnisovas made one of the worst decisions in Bulls draft day history, grabbing Patrick Williams from Florida State. Should he be trusted with another premium top-end pick, or does lottery luck trigger a front office overhaul?
Caleb Wilson’s movement at 6’10 jumps out immediately…fluid, balanced, and instinctive.
Development swing is clear: handle, self-creation, shooting consistency.
But the tools? Already there.
That’s a high-level archetype if it clicks.
pic.twitter.com/G9hJ0zuPhr— NetsKingdom 👑🗽 (@NetsKingdomAJ) March 27, 2026
If Portland can complete the Cinderella story and qualify for the Western Conference playoffs, they’d owe their first-round selection to the Chicago Bulls. This would mean adding another pick, likely in the 15-18 range, to accelerate the rebuild. This raises the same question as a top-four pick would: should AK be trusted with two first-rounders?
