The 2021 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday at 7 p.m. CST. It will air on ABC and ESPN.
The NBA Draft typically takes place in June, but it’s happening about a month later than usual due to this year’s adjusted schedule.
Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green and Evan Mobley are expected to be the top three picks, in some order. This is considered a strong draft at the top, and a few of these players could reach star potential.
Unfortunately for Chicago Bulls fans, though, the team doesn’t have a first-round pick. Chicago would have picked eighth overall, but they traded the selection away to the Orlando Magic for Nikola Vucevic in the winter.
Below, we’ll take a look at what NBA Draft bets you can make at Illinois sportsbooks, as well as check in on the 2021-22 Bulls odds.
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2021 NBA Draft odds, offers
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering a 50% profit boost to use on Thursday’s Draft.
The maximum bet is $50, and it is valid for up to $100 in additional winnings. The profit boost expires at 7 p.m., or when the Draft starts. So you must place the wager before then.
DraftKings also has the most extensive offerings of any online sportsbook in Illinois for the festivities. IL sports bettors can wager on the following NBA markets, and this is not an exhaustive list:
- First overall pick all the way up to fifth overall pick
- Players to go in the top 10
- Player draft position over/unders
- Top three picks in exact order
- Who will be drafted first head-to-heads
And for all those Illinois basketball fans who never had a chance to legally bet on star point guard Ayo Dosunmu while he was in school, well, Thursday is your first chance.
Dosunmu’s draft position over/under at DraftKings is 26.5. The Bulls have a second-round pick, No. 38 overall, so perhaps they can be in range to trade up for Dosunmu. He was born and raised in Chicago.
Cunningham is a near-lock to go first overall to the Detroit Pistons, as he is -10,000 to do so at PointsBet Sportsbook in Illinois. The Draft essentially starts at the second pick with the Houston Rockets.
Here are PointsBet’s No. 2 overall pick odds:
- Jalen Green: -455
- Evan Mobley: +250
- Jalen Suggs: +800
- Cade Cunningham: +2,000
- Scottie Barnes: +2,500
And the No. 3 overall pick odds, where the Cleveland Cavaliers are slotted to choose:
- Evan Mobley: -455
- Jalen Green: +175
- Jalen Suggs: +350
- Scottie Barnes: +1,000
- Jonathan Kuminga: +1,200
Keep in mind that trades may also factor into these bets. So, if the Oklahoma City Thunder use their swath of extra picks to move into the top three, it’s worth factoring in who they might be targeting.
2021-22 Chicago Bulls odds
The Bulls are currently +10,000 to win the NBA title at DraftKings, and are among the least likely teams to do it.
With that said, there are few prop bets that may be interesting to watch for Bulls fans. Here are a few:
- Zach LaVine to lead the NBA in scoring: +2,500
- Nikola Vucevic to lead the NBA in rebounding: +1,200
- Ben Simmons next team, Chicago Bulls: +2,200
- Bradley Beal next team, Chicago Bulls: +2,000
- Damian Lillard next team, Chicago Bulls: +5,000
The Simmons buzz is ramping up lately. Perhaps the Bulls could be a dark-horse contender to land one of the most polarizing players in the NBA.
