The 14 NBA teams that missed the playoffs will learn where they are drafting after next Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery, held before tip off of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Each team will be given different odds of getting the coveted ping pong ball drawn adorning their names, with the Celtics (who hold the rights to the Nets first round pick) boasting a one-in-four chance of picking first overall. The price atop the 2017 draft will likely be a guard, with Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz — or perhaps Josh Jackson expected to be taken off the board at No. 1.
Each team listed below is most likely to land in the order they appear in — with a lot of variation possible for teams in the top four, and some slight differentiation available for the rest of the teams listed. The Kings cannot win the first pick and keep it for themsevles, as a prior trade would force a swap with the 76ers. The Knicks and Timberwolves each finished the year with the odds at the No. 1 pick.
Here are each team’s chances of having the first overall pick:
1. Celtics: 25 percent
2. Suns: 19.9 percent
3. Lakers: 15.6 percent
4. Sixers: 14.7 percent (Their own odds are 11.9 percent, plus the Kings 2.8 percent chance in the team’s potential pick swap)
5. Magic: 8.8 percent
6. Knicks, Timberwolves tied: 5.3 percent
7. Mavericks 1.7 percent
8. Pelicans: 1.1 percent
9. Hornets 0.8 percent
10. Pistons: 0.7 percent
11. Nuggets: 0.6 percent
12. Heat: 0.5 percent
