Chicago Bulls 2024-25 Season Preview, Betting Odds

The Chicago Bulls appear to have their finger on the detonate button and are prepared to further blow up their roster at a moment's notice, which is certainly the impression being given following a pair of offseason trades featuring two of the team's better players.

In this 2024-25 preview, we'll analyze betting odds involving a Bulls team that appears one way at the moment, but could look drastically different several months down the line if the right opportunities emerge. 

Chicago Bulls' 2024 Offseason Acquisitions 

Chicago Bulls' 2024 Offseason Departures

Chicago Bulls' 2025 NBA Championship, Eastern Conference, Central Division Betting Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

Moving DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso was the beginning of what should be a full-blown reshaping of a Bulls core that has run its course, with a lone playoff victory and just one season of .500 basketball since 2018. Zach LaVine's name is a mainstay on the trade market, and Nikola Vucevic is on the final two years of a reasonable contract which could attract some eyes from contenders. 

Matas Buzelis had once been projected to be a top-five pick in the 2024 draft, so snagging him at No. 11 was somewhat of a steal for Chicago. Coby White has developed into a fringe All-Star, while Patrick Williams just inked a five-year extension with the organization. Josh Giddey will also be thrust into a more prominent role after falling out of favor with the Oklahoma City Thunder, so the initial pieces of a new-look Bulls for the future are in place, but the answers as to whether or not this group will elevate the team to greater heights remain up in the air. 

Best Bet: None

The Bulls are currently grouped alongside other bottom-dwellers like the Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, and Detroit Pistons for the absolute worst betting odds across the Eastern Conference. The only reason they're not looking up at four other teams in the Central Division is because Detroit is also one of the inhabitants. 

Simply put, Chicago is trying to forge a brand-new identity since the last one didn't take it very far. The only way that identity will fully manifest, though, is if the likes of LaVine and Vucevic are moved for compensation. That's easier said than done, because surely the front office has made an effort to trade both players, but the market was evidently dry with lowball offers. Perhaps time and less years have aided both causes, but the Bulls need to pull the trigger on both to move forward. 

From a sheer betting perspective, there's nothing here to hang your hat on. This will be a recurring theme with several season previews, but the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes is far too enticing to ignore, so we could see a tank steamroll its way through the Windy City at some point.

Chicago Bulls' 2024-25 NBA Win Total, Make Playoffs Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

The Bulls have finished sixth place or better in the East only once since 2016, and have seen their winning percentage dip from .561 to .488 to just recently .476 over the last three years. 

Best Bet: UNDER 28.5 Wins, -118

Winning 39 games in 2023-24 and then dropping off to 27 or less the next season is steep, but lest we forget that DeRozan led the team in scoring at 24 points per game and is no longer in the equation. LaVine also only suited up for 25 games due to injury, and Caruso was easily the team's best perimeter defender. 

Vying for a play-in spot, at the very least, doesn't serve Chicago's long-term goals, and would actually do the team a disservice as there's zero chance of pushing a top seed in a potential series in the first round. The UNDER is what needs to happen if the organization is wise, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt and suggest that they know what they're doing. 

Chicago Bulls' 2024 NBA Cup Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

Chicago finished with the worst record at 0-4 in East Group C during the inaugural in-season tournament with a -48 point differential despite being paired with the likes of the Nets and Raptors. Its only saving grace in 2024 is that the Wizards also share East Group C, but so do the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic. 

Chicago Bulls' 2024-25 NBA Awards Odds

Odds as of October 17, 2024 at FanDuel

Best Bet: Matas Buzelis For NBA Rookie Of The Year, +1200

As of writing, Buzelis is one of six prospects with 12-to-1 odds or greater in the Rookie of the Year race. 

Buzelis averaged 16.4 points and 4.2 rebounds during his five appearances in the Las Vegas Summer League, but only converted 33.7 percent of his shots. He shot just under 50 percent from the field during his stint with the G League Ignite last season, so here's hoping his Sin City cold streak isn't a sign of things to come. Buzelis is a long, athletic wing whose proven a capable shooter in the past, although not from distance, and has the physical tools to one day become a serviceable defender. 

His ceiling is higher than that of any of his current teammates, and the Bulls need to run with that and strap the rocket to his back. There's no time like the present, and that could buy him some votes for this hardware in April. 

2024-25 NBA Team Previews, Betting Odds