In a back room in Chicago — away from the cameras and the nationally televised spectacle — ping pong ball combinations will determine who lands the NBA's next transcendent star.
And while there is talent deep into the lottery in what projects to be a loaded class, Cooper Flagg is unequivocally the grand prize.
The Bulls enter Monday with just a 1.7% chance of landing the No. 1 pick, the 12th-best odds.
MORE: Every team's chances to land No. 1 pick
Yet if history repeats itself, Flagg could be wearing a Bulls jersey come next fall. It that 1.7% chance rings a bell for Bulls fans, its because those are the exact same odds the team had back in the 2008 draft lottery which they shocked the world, moved up to the No. 1 spot and selected Derrick Rose. They have an 8% chance of moving into the top four.
How fitting would it be for the franchise to land Flagg the same year that Rose's banner will be raised to the rafters at the United Center, the team's last MVP ceremoniously handing off the torch to a player many think could himself win an MVP someday.
Bulls NBA draft lottery odds for every pick
Here are the Bulls odds for landing at each spot. Far and away the most likely outcome is ending with the 12th pick.
- No. 1 — 1.7%
- No. 2 — 1.9%
- No. 3 — 2.1%
- No. 4 — 2.4%
- No. 5 — 0%
- No. 6 — 0%
- No. 7 — 0%
- No. 8 — 0%
- No. 9 — 0%
- No. 10 — 0%
- No. 11 — 0%
- No. 12 — 85.2%
- No. 13 — 6.6%
- No. 14 — 0.1%
Dare to dream, Bulls fans.
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