The Bulls will have the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft after the completion of the lottery Tuesday night in Chicago. The result, which is sure to be a disappointment to those hoping the team would land the top pick for Duke star Zion Williamson, still gives the team another high selection to continue building one of the youngest roster in the league.
Only three teams had higher odds than the Bulls to land the No. 1 pick, but the odds didn’t play in their favor. The Pelicans ended up winning the lottery just 6% odds, followed by the Grizzlies, Knicks and Lakers.
RELATED: Complete results for the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery
After the first couple of tiers led by Williamson, Ja Morant and R.J. Barrett, there are a host of prospects in the mix for where the Bulls ended up. Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland could be a good fit given their need for a young point guard with floor-spacing potential. Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver, Duke forward Cam Reddish and Virginia forward De’Andre Hunter are among the other options.
Still, the failure to land a top-two pick that would’ve yielded Williamson or Morant, the kind of talent that could become an All-Star in short order, will sting after another losing season.
This will be tied for the Bulls’ highest draft pick since they landed Derrick Rose with the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. The team had just a 1.7% chance of winning the lottery that year, yet the fates (and ping-pong balls) aligned to give the team the top pick. Last year, the team ended up with the No. 7 pick, which it used to select big man Wendell Carter Jr.
The 2019 NBA Draft will be held on June 20 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
