Forward Matas Buzelis representing his team, The Chicago Bulls, who missed out on the top NBA Draft pick after a coin toss gave the Dallas Mavericks (represented by Rolando Blackman, left) better odds—and the No. 1 selection.
A coin toss might’ve cost the Bulls Cooper Flagg.
Chicago ended the season with the same record as the Dallas Mavericks. But in the pre-lottery tiebreaker, Dallas won the draw. That gave them the 11th-best odds for the No. 1 pick. The Bulls? Just behind, at 12th.
Then came the gut punch.
With only a 1.8% chance, the Mavericks jumped ten spots and landed the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Bulls stood still at 12.
That difference—a tenth of a percent—could shape two franchises in very different ways.
For Chicago, this moment felt familiar. Another year, another middle-of-the-pack finish. The team hasn’t made the playoffs (play-in games aside) more than twice in the past decade. The 12th pick is unlikely to change that alone.
The results for picks 5-14 in the 2025 #NBADraftLottery presented by State Farm:
5. Jazz
6. Wizards
7. Pelicans
8. Nets
9. Raptors
10. Rockets
11. Trail Blazers
12. Bulls
13. Hawks
14. Spurs pic.twitter.com/X0rXLGI0gf— NBA (@NBA) May 12, 2025
But not everyone’s given up hope.
“I know everybody wanted Cooper Flagg, but you know, Coby White, he’s been balling,” ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins told The Chicago Defender.
Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, who represented the team at the lottery, echoed that optimism.
“After [the All-Star break], we all started playing well together, so we’re gonna have a full season. I think we’re just gonna be even better than before.”
Perkins says the Bulls should keep building—step by step.
“Chicago is still one of the best franchises in sports, and there’s a lot of disgruntled superstars right now. You never know what could happen,” he said.
In a league where a 1.8% chance paid off for a team that just traded Luka Doncic, anything really can happen.
So no, don’t close the book on the Bulls just yet.
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