Apr 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) celebrates his three point basket against the Miami Heat during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images David Banks-Imagn Images

Can Chicago Bulls get Top 2026 Draft Pick?

Originally posted on NBA Draft on SI | By Derek Parker | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 4:00 PM ET

Having offloaded most of their win-now core from a few seasons ago, the Chicago Bulls finally seem primed to aim at the NBA’s top draft picks.

But achieving that will be easier said than done.

Despite players like Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and more no longer frequenting the starting lineup, positioning a team for the upper ranks of the NBA Draft Lottery can be hard to do. Chicago is certain to have competition, and its roster may not yet be ready to truly yield top-five odds.

Per Tankathon — a site used to simulate the draft lottery — Chicago is currently slated to land the sixth-best lottery odds. A ranking we at NBA Draft on SI agree with to an extent.

Matas Buzelis in 31 regular-season starts as a rookie:

13.0 PPG
4.5 RPG
1.9 APG
1.1 BPG@RotoWire breaks down their Fantasy Sleepers at Forward for the '25-26 season https://t.co/4WbGzVjrI4 pic.twitter.com/qIwqdMEmQT
— NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) September 7, 2025

For now, with the Bulls still having win-now talent like Nikola Vukcevic, Kevin Huerter, Coby White and more, it seems a few other teams are better-positioned to lose games. The Jazz, Wizards and Nets are the current frontrunners, though teams like Charlotte, Memphis and Portland are certain to be in the mix.

Still, its in the Bulls’ best interests to maximize their lottery chances next season, however they can.

Luckily, doing so could be one of the Bulls’ best moves in years. The 2026 NBA Draft is currently thought of by experts to be a loaded one, potentially offering as many as three No. 1-level picks.

The likes of Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and AJ Dybantsa all seem to be tier one prospects, and will be highly sought-after as draft season nears. The Bulls would love to leave with any of the three, but will need to pull certain levers to ensure they can.

Even then, the draft lottery can be fickle. The worst three teams will have just a 14% chance at landing No. 1. Last season, all of the bottom-tier teams saw awful lottery luck, with the Dallas Mavericks cashing in on just a 1.8% chance at landing No. 1 to take Cooper Flagg. The Spurs weren't quite as lucky, but they too jumped higher than expected. But that could also work to Chicago’s advantage, if they don’t land top-three odds.

If the Bulls are able to land a top prospect at the '26 draft, they'll be in fine position moving forward. They already have lengthy, developmental forwards in Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue, who they'll continue to work with as they add more talent to the team in the coming years.

This article first appeared on NBA Draft on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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