A recent draconian response to NBA teams tanking put the Chicago Bulls in a unique position. Because of such a crackdown on teams losing in the short term, long-term games could hamper the Bulls’ ability to draft higher, per Elias Schuster of Sports Illustrated.
In other words, the Bulls cannot afford to forsake games to secure higher picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. At this point, Chicago is in a battle with the Memphis Grizzlies, who currently have the 8th-highest odds for the Draft Lottery. Meanwhile, Chicago is 10th and trailing the Milwaukee Bucks.
The theoretical endgame would be that Chicago would lose more games, thereby increasing their lottery chances. But it seems that if there is one thing about this organization, the last thing they want is to pay a fine.
After all, this leadership, led by Arturas Karnisovas, is reluctant to rock the boat. After all, Chicago recently traded away many of their core players in exchange for 14 second-round draft picks. All to rebuild and free up cap space.
A cautious approach, if there ever was one.
The NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for May 10.
The hard fact about the Bulls is that they don’t have to tank
Now that the season is at the All-Star break, the Bulls are in a dismal state. Following the trades, the Bulls are in the midst of a six-game losing streak. Currently, they are 24-31 on the year and have lost 9 of their last 10 games.
Plus, they are a roster still adjusting to one another. A roster that is disproportionately skewed toward the newbies. Those include Collin Sexton, Anfernee Simons, Jaden Ivey, Nick Richards, Guerschon Yabusele, and Leonard Miller.
Therefore, tanking wouldn’t be necessary because the struggle will still be real with this dynamic in place.
That being said, the Bulls have consistently been an organization that has avoided tanking altogether. They have shown flashes of competitiveness even when their backs are against the wall.
So in the grand scheme of things, they are just in keeping with how they have always operated, for better or worse.