2023 NBA Draft: 3 big Winners and 3 losers after the draft lottery

3. Chicago Bulls – loser

The Chicago Bulls had a very disappointing season this year, as they went 40-42 in the regular season before losing to the Miami Heat in the final game of the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament.

Now they are in a weird position because they have talented players like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic, but their stars underperformed last year, and even at their best, they aren’t quite good enough to be serious contenders.

To make things even worse, they learned that they would officially not have their lottery pick this year, as it now belongs to the Orlando Magic. The Bulls traded their 2023 first-round pick to the Orlando Magic a few seasons ago in a deal in which they acquired the aforementioned Vucevic. They put a top-four protection on the pick, meaning they would keep it if it fell inside the top four. Unfortunately for them, it did not, falling at number eleven, so the pick is now on its way to Orlando.

The fact that the Bulls’ pick fell outside the top four is not surprising. In fact, this was always the most likely situation. This wouldn’t be a huge deal if the Bulls played well this season and replicated the success they had in 2021. However, they didn’t, and it would’ve been nice if they could add a lottery talent to their roster.

Now all of their focus will be on free agency as they attempt to solve their team’s problems.