The Chicago Bulls will officially hold the No. 12 slot in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.
The NBA held its tiebreakers for the five non-playoff teams that finished with identical records this regular season on Monday. Chicago ended the year with the same 39-43 tally as the Dallas Mavericks, who also lost in the Play-In Tournament last week. According to the league office, the coin flip landed in favor of the Mavericks, meaning they will sit 11th and the Bulls will sit 12th.
For Chicago, this means it’s more likely than not that they head into this year’s draft picking one spot lower than they did in 2024. They selected Matas Buzelis at No. 11 overall last June.
Chicago Bulls Lose NBA Draft Lottery Tiebreaker
The Chicago Bulls will now hold a 1.7 percent chance at earning the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and an 8.1 percent chance to move into the Top 4. Below are their odds of landing at each available spot, per Tankathon:
1 – 1.7%
2 – 1.9%
3 – 2.1%
4 – 2.4%
12 – 85.2%
13 – 6.6%
14 – 0.1%
Conversely, the Dallas Mavericks have now earned a 1.8 percent chance at the top pick and an 8.5 percent chance at a Top 4 selection. While there may not be a drastic difference there, every percentage point counts on lottery night! Likewise, you always want the fewest teams possible in front of you come draft night, so there is no question that losing the tiebreaker stings slightly.
At least the Bulls lucked out a little with the Play-In Tournament results. They could have found themselves at 13 if it were not for the Miami Heat taking down the Atlanta Hawks in the Play-In Tournament. By clinching a playoff series, the Heat (who were only 37-45 on the season) officially exited the lottery altogether, allowing the Mavericks and Bulls to move up on the totem pole.
Also, perhaps this tiebreaker loss is actually a sign the basketball gods are on Chicago’s side! As I’m sure many fans remember, the organization held this identical 1.7 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick in 2008 when a certain hometown hero was coming off an NCAA Championship appearance.
If that hero isn’t sitting on the podium for lottery night next month, that’s a huge mistake!
Your Official 2025 NBA Draft Lottery …
Utah (17-65) – 14%
Washington (18-64) – 14%
Charlotte (19-63) – 14%
New Orleans (21-61) – 12.5%
Philadelphia (24-58) – 10.5%
Brooklyn (26-56) – 9.0%
Toronto (30-52) – 7.5%
San Antonio (34-46) – 6.0%
Houston via PHX from BRK (36-46) – 3.8%
Portland – (36-46) – 3.7%
Dallas – (39-43) – 1.8%
Chicago – (39-43) – 1.7%
Sacramento – (40-42) – 0.8%
Atlanta – (40-42) – 0.7%
