Chicago Bulls are double losers in 2021 NBA Draft Lottery

Tuesday night, the Chicago Bulls found themselves hoping for a bit of luck in the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery.

Entering the lottery, the Bulls had a 20.3% chance to land in the top four picks and a 4.5% chance to come home with the no. 1 overall pick. If the Bulls’ pick landed in the top four, they would get to keep it. If not, it would go to the Orlando Magic by way of the Nikola Vucevic trade.

In the end, the Bulls stayed put at the eight spot where they were most likely to pick going into Tuesday night. Because they drew the no. 8 selection, of course, it went to the Magic.

To say that the Bulls lost the lottery may be a bit of a stretch, considering they were able to trade for an All Star center. However, Bulls fans were hoping to see some magic happen, and were let down.

Other than just losing out on a top-4 pick, the Chicago Bulls metaphorically lost in another way during the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery.

Not only do the Bulls lose out on their first rounder, but they saw two fellow NBA Central rivals land in the top three picks.

The Detroit Pistons get to pick first overall after moving up one spot in the lottery, bumping the Houston Rockets down to no. 2 overall. The Cleveland Cavaliers also moved up two spots from five to three.

More than likely, the Bulls will see two of either Cade Cunningham, Jalen Suggs, Jalen Green or Evan Mobley on a regular basis for a long time.

Although it would have been nice to secure one of those guys, the Bulls do have hope for the future. Having an All Star center like Vucevic paired with Zach LaVine for at least the 2021-2022 season means Chicago could make a playoff run depending upon the pieces they add this summer.

Looking ahead, the Bulls will pick in the first round next year and the 2022 NBA Draft class is absolutely loaded. Compared to the 2021 class, next year is a far better class to pick from. This year, there are about five players to get wildly excited about. Next year? There could be a solid 8-12 players teams will be gushing over.

For now, it’s about building for the future. Locking down LaVine on a long-term extension should be a priority, that way he and Vucevic will be around for a while. From there, adding talent around those guys and particularly finding a solution at point guard will be key.

Then, in 2022, it will be back into the first round of the draft.