The NBA draft lottery represents hope for franchises looking to make a change to their franchise’s direction. However, some franchises are left stuck in the same position they were in before.
The draft lottery takes place every year to determine who will get the first four overall picks. Each team that missed the playoffs has a chance to get one of the top picks, but the worst two teams have the highest odds at 14 percent.
Winner 1 of NBA draft lottery- Atlanta Hawks
A lot can be said about how big the Hawks getting the first overall pick in the draft lottery is. A franchise that has been stuck in the middle ground for years now has one of the most valuable assets you can have. Although the pick might not be as valuable as it usually would be due to this draft class being weak it’s still a huge asset to have. In the NBA the two best things you can have are a superstar and many options moving forward. Although the Hawks don’t quite have a superstar (Trae Young is definitely talented though just not superstar level) this first overall pick gives them a world of options moving forward.
Winner 2 of draft lottery- San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs had acquired the Raptors 2024 pick in a trade at the 2023 trade deadline that sent Jakob Poeltl to the Raptors. The pick was protected if it fell in between the first and sixth picks. However, with the Hawks and Rockets both jumping up the draft order in the draft lottery, the pick fell out of the protection zone and the Spurs now hold the pick.
The Spurs have two lottery picks, which gives them plenty of mobility to surround Victor Wembanyama with talent. They could possibly make a play at a star if one were to request a trade. They could also try and trade up to go for one of the top prospects. Even if they just trust the process and make their two picks as having two lottery picks gives you much more margin of error, one of them is almost bound to become a core piece of your roster.
Winner 3 of draft lottery- Portland Trailblazers
The Trailblazers will also hold two lottery picks in the 2024 NBA draft. Just like the Spurs, the second pick was no guarantee. The Trailblazers acquired the Warriors 2024 pick from the Bucks in the Damian Lillard trade. The pick was top four protected. The Warriors had very low odds to move up in the draft lottery, but to be fair so did the Hawks. Being able to hold onto this second lottery pick is a big win for a team in rebuild mode like the Blazers.
Loser 1 of draft lottery- Detroit Pistons
Although the order doesn’t matter as much as it usually does, the Pistons falling into the fifth pick is still frustrating. Since drafting Cade Cunningham with the first overall pick in 2021, the draft lottery has not been kind to the Pistons since. Despite finishing with a bottom four record in each of the past three seasons, the Pistons have zero top four picks to show for it. The Pistons losing way may continue unless they can find a steal at the fifth pick.
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Loser 2 of draft lottery – Toronto Raptors
The Raptors came into this season without a direction. Veterans from the 2019 championship roster like Pascal Siakam and O.G Anunoby still cluttered the roster. However, the Raptors quickly decided to go into the rebuilding direction by sending Siakam to the Pacers and Anunoby to the Knicks. The Raptors were hoping to be able to fall into their protection zone from one to six, but the draft lottery had other plans. The Raptors will now head into their first full rebuilding season in 2025 without a lottery pick to develop.
Loser 3 of draft lottery- Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets haven’t seen a lottery pick since 2010 when they drafted Derrick Favors. Trades for Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and James Harden have cost them the chance to draft in the lottery. The Rockets held the Nets pick this season, and the Nets watched the pick fall into the top four in the draft lottery.
Despite being a weak class the Nets desperately need young talent. The only positive is that the Nets hold the Suns pick from trading Kevin Durant. These picks could end up being great if the Suns big three experiment dissolves by next season. In recent years the Nets have seen talented players like Damian Lillard, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum selected with their picks.
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