The Chicago Bulls were oh so close.
As it turns out, if Chicago had lost one more game, it would've had the number combinations that were instead possessed by the Dallas Mavericks at Monday night's NBA Draft Lottery. And that means, if the Bulls had those numbers and the rest of proceedings played out exactly the same, Chicago would've won the No. 1 pick.
Cooper Flagg would've been a Bull.
But it wasn't meant to be.
Why?
Because Josh Giddey hit one of the shots of the season for an absolutely improbable win.
MORE: LeBron's reaction to Cooper Flagg's Mavs news has retirement rumors intensifying
On March 27, the Bulls trailed the Lakers 115-110 with 12.1 seconds left in Chicago.
Patrick Williams hit a 3 for the Bulls, then LeBron James threw his inbound pass errant and right to Giddey. The Australian set up Coby White for a 3 and a 116-115 lead.
The Lakers seemed to save the day when Austin Reaves put them back ahead, 117-116.
But then Giddey drained a half-court prayer at the buzzer for a win that, as it turns out, cost them Flagg.
THE ENDING OF BULLS-LAKERS OMG 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/PhHOjSKdS7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 28, 2025
MORE: Mavs' Cooper Flagg result is biggest second chance in NBA history
The celebrations that night are certainly nothing like what the Bulls are feeling now.
They will pick No. 12, a boring outcome with an unlikelihood of landing a superstar.
Flagg would've been that superstar, the heir to Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose.
Instead, a halfcourt shot cost the Bulls in a way they never could've imagined at the time.
MORE NBA NEWS:
- Mavs have chance to make craziest trade in NBA history
- 76ers are second-biggest winners of NBA Draft lottery
- Cooper Flagg, Luka Doncic is now NBA's biggest "What if?"
- Victor Wembanyama just got his point guard
- LeBron warned that the lottery might be rigged