The Chicago Bulls have lost six in a row. It’s time for them to start losing as much as possible.
Chicago is in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, two games behind 10th-place Toronto, and just two games ahead of 13th-place Orlando. They can’t win without DeMar DeRozan, and FiveThirtyEight gives them very long odds of even making the playoffs.
In general, a veteran-heavy team led by DeRozan and free-agent-to-be Nikola Vucevic is in win-now mode. But with Lonzo Ball about to be ruled out for the year, actually winning is a tall order. And the Bulls have a very strong incentive to get worse in their last 23 games.
The Bulls sent their 2023 first-round pick to the Magic in the Vucevic deal, along with the 2021 pick that became All-Rookie forward Franz Wagner. This year’s pick is protected 1-4, meaning the Bulls keep it if the lottery lands them in the top four picks.
What are the odds of that? The Bulls are the 7th-worst team in the NBA right now, which gives them a 32 percent chance at landing in the top four. But if they can drop below Orlando to the 5th-worst record, the odds of keeping their pick rise to 42 percent.
Even if they don’t get Victor Wembanyama, keeping a high lottery pick would be huge for the Bulls. With DeRozan banged up and Zach LaVine dealing with knee issues all year, shutting down or at least ramping down their stars’ minutes would be wise anyway.
It’s a disappointing conclusion to a season with hopes of a playoff run, but it’s pretty clear this team doesn’t have it these season. It’s time to gas up the tank and roll into the lottery.
