2026 Chicago Bulls Predictions with Best Bets and Odds to Win NBA Championship

by Spencer Toth - 9/28/2026

The Chicago Bulls have the fourth-most NBA championships with six, but the Michael Jordan days feel like eras ago for this struggling fan base. Chicago hasn’t won a playoff series in eleven straight seasons, being bounced in the first round twice and the play-in tournament three times in that span. The franchise hit a new low with a 31-51 record last year, their worst since 2020, and are once again expected to finish in the basement. Can the Bulls string together enough upsets to stay relevant, or will they find themselves fighting to stay out of the ‘relegation’ zone as the season comes to an end?

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Chicago Bulls Offseason Moves

The Chicago Bulls had a crafty offseason which should see them improve both in the short term and the long term. Josh Giddey is the star they have chosen to build around, but he needs serious help if the Bulls expect to contend. The Bulls most impactful signing was Nic Claxton from the Brooklyn Nets, acquired in a four-team trade that saw Chicago give up Mouhamadou Gueye to Charlotte. Claxton has been one of the lone bright spots in Brooklyn for the last several seasons, and knows how to compete on a bad team. Plain and simple. He was forced to grow as a playmaker rather than a pure scoring 5 last season with a career high 3.7 assists. He is just entering his prime at 27 years old, and will take over for the departed Nikola Vucevic as the starting center.

The other big veteran signing coming to Chicago is Norman Powell. Powell is one of the best scorers on the outside in the league, capable of putting up high efficiency shots late in the shot clock. His scoring ballooned to 21.7 PPG last season with the Heat, and he is a consistent 40% three-point shooter across his career. He still has a few miles left in the tank at 33 years old, and his playstyle should allow him to stay effective both on and off the court.

In the draft, the Bulls struck gold with Caleb Wilson at fourth overall. Wilson played a single season with North Carolina before declaring for the NBA draft, posting 19.8 PPG and 9.4 rebounds. There are few downsides to Wilson heading into the new season, as he can score with high-efficiency shots down low, averaged 1.5 steals per game last season and can hold his own on defense. His incredible athleticism was on full display in college, but he probably needs a year or two to fill out his slender frame before he can really put it to use in the NBA.

The Bulls moved on from Anfernee Simons and Collin Sexton, but both came midway through last season and didn’t make much of an impact. Finally, the Bulls moved on from Billy Donovan at head coach after six seasons with the team, hiring Tiago Splitter to lead the franchise. Splitter was an interim head coach for the Trail Blazers last season after getting his first head coaching job in Paris, and will look to turn this team around heading into the new season.

2026 Chicago Bulls Season Expectations

The expectations are quite low in Chicago. They finished inside the bottom ten in both offensive and defensive rating last season, scoring the 12th-most PPG despite playing at the second fastest pace. Another year outside of the playoffs is almost certain for the Bulls, and the question could even become if they can keep all their draft lottery balls or if they will slip into the bottom three in the league.

Josh Giddey has had a strong start to his NBA career, but he is far from the kind of star who can drag a lackluster roster to the playoffs. His ability to play all five positions came in handy last year, and the development of his deep ball opened up what he could do on offense. The Bulls have a very lengthy lineup if Giddey stays at point guard, which they will look to use to disrupt passing lanes down low. A ‘big 3’ of Giddey, Claxton, and Powell with Wilson eventually taking over has promise, but it is far from the talent many other rosters have. The Bulls struggled on both ends of the court last season, and more of the same is expected this season.

2026 Chicago Bulls Schedule Breakdown

The Bulls open up the season with seven of their first nine games on the road, including trips to Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. A strong start feels unlikely for the Bulls, which means they will be playing catch up for most of the year given their tough opening string of matchups. They are rewarded for their early travels with a month-long stretch starting in late November with only one game away from home, but then immediately head south for a four-game road trip through the Christmas period. Looking at the tail end of their schedule, they close out the season against Milwaukee, Charlotte, Milwaukee again, and New Orleans. Depending on where the Bulls are in the standings, these could be crucial games to either lift them into the play-in tournament, or send them crashing into the bottom-three of the league.

2026 Chicago Bulls Odds

The Chicago Bulls have a win total of 28.5 this season, the third-lowest in the conference and the joint fourth-lowest in the league. Aspirations for a playoff push feel unlikely, as the Bulls have +1000 odds to make the playoffs with -2500 odds to fall short. Even a top-ten finish in the East is unlikely, as they have +750 odds to participate in the play-in tournament.

Looking at the NBA Cup, the Bulls find themselves in a group with the Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, and Wizards. This is about as easy as a draw Chicago could have gotten, but they are still seen as underdogs with +2000 odds to win the group and +25000 odds to win the NBA Cup.

2026 Chicago Bulls Season Predictions and Best Bets

The Bulls’ primary goal this season will be developing players, but it is also important they win games to avoid falling into the bottom three in the league. The NBA’s new anti-tanking measures will have a massive impact on late-season games, as Chicago may elect to keep their starters on the floor rather than throwing in the towel. In terms of top-end talent, the Bulls have a few strong role players, but no one who would crack into the roster a true title contender.

For the first and only pick, we will take Chicago to finish under 26.5 wins at +100 odds. The Bulls made a few crafty offseason signings, but they are still a tier below most of the conference. Without any microwave scorers to generate upsets, Chicago will struggle to steal wins and will have to settle for coin-flip matchups against the bottom half of the league. Claxton and Powell are good additions, but there is no chemistry on this roster and a brutal start will see the Bulls quickly fall out of the playoff race. They finished 31-51 last year, but that record is a bit misleading after they won the first five games of the season before slipping into irrelevancy. They played like a 27-win team for the final 77 games of the season, and will finish just under the mark with between 23 and 25 wins this year.

Top Pick: Chicago Bulls Under 26.5 Wins +100

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Start:	September 28, 2026 @ 11:00 PM
Expert:	Tony George
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2026 Chicago Bulls Predictions with Best Bets and Odds to Win NBA Championship

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