The Bulls' surprising win sparks debate: is competing the path to future success, or a risky draft lottery gamble?
If you believe the Chicago Bulls are clueless, you are not alone.
After forming a new-look roster, the Bulls believed they had a shot at making the postseason, replicating last year's late-season run to a Play-In spot. However, reality has punched the fragmented franchise in the mouth almost every game night. After wrapping up their West Coast trip 1-4 and returning to Chicago, it might be time to activate a too-late tanking plan for higher draft lottery odds.
Yet the team doesn't seem ready to falter. Against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night at the United Center, the Bulls rejuvenated a different look — the early-season energy that they longed for — outlasting Memphis with a convincing cushion through crisp offensive flow.
Behind the triumph, it was Matas Buzelis achieving over 100 blocks this season and becoming the first player to record at least 150 three-pointers made and 100 blocks in a single season, and Josh Giddey's 12th triple-double in the season, epitomizing a driving force from the duo that led to a win over a struggling team that looked for the draft.
Mar 16, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) and forward Matas Buzelis (14) high five during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images"Everything I've gotten from the ownership, front office has been about going out there, competing, and trying to win," Donovan said postgame when the Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley asked about the team's direction for the rest of the season. Though deploying reserves like Yuki Kawamura, who logged 11 minutes with five points and two assists against his former team, Donovan still played Josh Giddey 33 minutes. Giddey posted his 12th triple-double of the season with 16 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists.
"(The discussion) hasn't been, 'Hey, play this guy, this guy, this guy,' or 'Do this, this, or this,'" Donovan said. "I'm not that familiar with all the (draft) odds or percentages, things like that, but I just know organizationally, and I respect it, that these guys come here every night, they work hard, and they want to compete. I respect that."
From a coaching perspective, Donovan prefers seeing his players compete, which is natural, whether the team tanks or fights until the final buzzer. Every aspect of his game plan and scheme, including weighing Giddey's main-force status and lengthy conversations with Matas Buzelis amid his sophomore growth, demonstrates Donovan wants to make this team salvageable.
It's encouraging to see that the team still has a silver lining to avoid embarrassing themselves. However, it's strange that the front office has yet to consider whether to tank, even without internal conversations based on Donovan's word.
Around the media universe, having Buzelis and Giddey lead the way for wins doesn't make sense from a draft perspective.
"If you care about the Bulls and you care about the long-term success, you want those two to look really good together...if they're winning because of it, guess what? It's not really going to affect your decision process in the draft anyway," CHSN's host Ruthie Polinsky said on 104.3 The Score's Mully & Haugh Show.
Per Tankathon's Draft & Lottery Simulator, the Bulls currently sit ninth in lottery odds, holding 20.3% odds for a top-four pick and only 4.5% for the first overall selection. As a team still "freshening" with an over-40% winning percentage, Chicago doesn't seem interested in falling for a more favorable draft position, given that the 2026 class features elite talent following Cooper Flagg's aura, which our writer Michael Walton II has extensively covered regarding potential Bulls draft targets.
The stakes are real. If the Bulls swap lottery positions with Milwaukee for 10th, their top-four odds drop from 20.3% to 13.9%. Their No. 1 pick chances would plummet from 4.5% to 3.0%. The Bulls learned this lesson painfully last year when they lost a coin flip to Dallas, who subsequently landed Flagg.
Following Derrick Rose's viewpoint for rebuilding the current Bulls, the franchise needs another star. The best way to achieve such a Rose-esque shortcut is to focus on the draft. Despite tanking sounding distasteful from players' and coaches' perspectives, it doesn't deteriorate entirely if the team wants to utilize the remaining season to test depth, without a clear objective of winning or losing more.
It was always beneficial to think in the long term, which the Bulls haven’t done for years.