The Bulls finished the 2024-25 season with the same record as the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams were 39-43, which meant a tiebreaker was needed to determine who got the higher draft odds. The Mavericks won the random draw and received the 11th-best odds to land the No. 1 pick, while the Bulls wound up 12th. And that made all the difference.

The Bulls didn’t improve their positioning in the NBA draft lottery at McCormick Place and will have the No. 12 pick in the first round. The Dallas Mavericks won the No. 1 pick — despite the fourth-worst odds at 1.8% — and almost certainly will select Duke superstar Cooper Flagg.

The Bulls landed outside the top 10 in the league lottery, right where the odds projected them to land. The Bulls, with a 1.7% percent chance to win the No. 1 overall pick and an 8% chance to land in the top four, earned the No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Monday night.