Chicago Misses Playoffs For Fifth Time In Karnisovas’s Six Years, And That’s Not The Worst Part

Last night featured the Bulls’ third loss by 18 or more in their last five outings. After leading for the majority of the night, the Oklahoma City Thunder ripped off a 22-0 run and took full advantage of one of Josh Giddey’s worst performances in a Chicago uniform, defeating the Bulls 131-113. This loss officially eliminated Billy Donovan’s group from playoff contention, cementing the decade-long drought from advancing beyond the first round in the postseason. In the Arturas Karnisovas and Billy Donovan era, the Bulls have qualified for the dance once and have a 1-4 playoff record. Safe to say, a clean-house operation in the front office would be welcomed with open arms by the fans.

Nail In The Coffin

Chicago fans have known for some time that the Bulls were not going to make the playoffs. After a trade deadline in which they executed a full-blown fire sale, including seven deals, Karnisovas emphasized their dissatisfaction with finishing in the middle of the pack and only qualifying for the mini-tournament, and with consistently falling short of the official playoff bracket. The irony in his statement was two-fold for the fanbase, first being the humor that it took three straight play-in tournaments and eyeing a fourth for reality to hit AK, and second being the fact that the team will still finish outside of the top eight in the draft lottery, and is most likely to draft in the middle of the first round.

The Bulls are officially eliminated from postseason contention.

A season spent in the middle ends the same way — short of the playoffs, short of real upside. https://t.co/AwCUdVP4cD

— Drew Stevens (@ByDrewStevens) March 28, 2026

Shifting Focus To The Draft

According to Tankathon, a live-updating draft lottery generator, the Chicago Bulls have a 76.6% chance of having the ninth or tenth overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, five wins since the trade deadline have been just enough to substantially impact their chances at a higher pick. The Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies are all bunched at 24 or 25 wins, compared to Chicago’s 29, and all hold nearly double the odds of landing in the top four. The best-case scenario would’ve meant swapping places with Dallas, who’s not only got a 37.2% chance at a top-four selection compared to the Bulls’ 20.2% odds, but also has a 58.9% chance at selecting between picks six and eight. In a loaded draft class this summer, any improvement on draft positioning is a franchise-altering opportunity.

The Dallas Mavericks currently have a 75.5% chance to pick top-7 in this year's draft.

That means they have a better-than-not shot at pairing Cooper Flagg with one of:

Cam Boozer
AJ Dybantsa
Caleb Wilson
Keaton Wagler
Darius Acuff Jr.
Darryn Peterson
Kingston Flemings pic.twitter.com/Qdi15C22s9

— Underdog (@Underdog) March 26, 2026

Due to Donovan’s refusal to embark on a tank and Matas Buzelis willing the Bulls to a few wins that did more harm than good, the front office finds itself barely outside of the zone of premium players, and will have a tough decision on their hands after the elite talents have been selected.

To recap another season for Chicago, they missed postseason contention, did not significantly improve the future outlook, and will again select in the middle of the first round. Is Karnisovas’s seat getting warm?

Knowing that they will be selecting at nine or ten, who do you want brought to Chicago in the draft?