The national media annually releases each team's preseason odds, predictions, and betting lines. In Chicago's case, they've finished nearly identically in record and standings each of the last three campaigns and ended with an NBA Play-In Tournament defeat in their efforts to clinch a playoff spot. Headed into the 2025-26 year, this roster will feature the first full season without Zach LaVine, who was the face of the franchise since 2017. How do the masses expect the new, young core to end up, and do they have any shot at the postseason with the new-look roster?
Expected To Land In The Lottery
Sportsbooks have agreed that the Chicago Bulls will fall short of their last three seasons' production of 39 wins per year and a Play-In Tournament berth. The current line has the team landing between 31 and 33 wins, representing their worst season since the 2020-21 campaign, when they went 31-41. That year, they landed the eighth overall pick in the upcoming draft. Unfortunately, that selection was previously traded to the Orlando Magic as part of the Nikola Vucevic mega-deal earlier that season. They would draft Franz Wagner, an NBA First-Team All-Rookie member and mainstay starter in Orlando.
The #NBA season is tipping off next week. So, the projected win total for the #Bulls is set at 32.5. Over? Under? @KCJHoop joined us to preview the upcoming season.
— Tina Nguyen (@ttinanguyen) October 14, 2025
(p.s. I like the OV. Eek!) pic.twitter.com/OxR7W2NdmH
Suppose Chicago were to end the season in the lottery as anticipated. Would Arturas Karnisovas deserve another swing at a top-end draft selection, or would the franchise start a new regime with a top-ten pick?
NBA Cup, Finals, and First Overall Pick Odds
Buckle up, Chicago fans. This will be a year of taking lumps. With one of the youngest rosters leaguewide, which will get even younger when Vucevic is traded or cut midway through the season, the main objectives will be trimming any assets that won't contribute for several years ahead and testing the young core to take giant leaps. They currently have the eighth-longest odds in the NBA to win the midseason NBA Cup, and tied for the second-longest odds to win the NBA Finals. Making the playoffs is a long shot, with the consensus giving an 18% chance to be in the eight-team postseason field.
Matas Buzelis is a superstar in the making pic.twitter.com/UjSfpn3bVp
— Die-Hard Chicago Bulls Fans (@DieHardCBfans) October 8, 2025
The better news for Chicagoans is their chances at the top pick in the 2026 draft. They're slated to have one of the worst records in the league, and they hold a 9% chance at the number one selection before the regular season tips off. They also have a 37.2% chance of landing in the top four, allowing them to select a franchise-altering talent.
The most exciting aspect, all odds aside, is that this year brings the most uncertainty and potential variance in nearly a decade for a Bulls team desperate for a definitive commitment to changing the organization's direction.
