NBA Draft Lottery 2017: Preview, Odds and Top Teams to Watch at Tuesday's Event
May 14, 2017
Congratulations are in order to the NBA for making the act of slowly opening large square envelopes one of the most exciting (and stressful) acts in basketball.
This year's lottery reveal will take place on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, and it is one of the most anticipated events since the practice began in 1985, when the New York Knicks won the first pick and eventually took Georgetown center Patrick Ewing.
The NBA draft class is loaded with talent this year, and there are some interesting lottery storylines that will have fans on the edge of their seats.
Here's a look at four teams to watch on Tuesday as well as some odds. For an explanation of how the NBA draft lottery works, check out this article from Alec Nathan of Bleacher Report.
| 2017 NBA Draft Lottery Odds | ||
| Team | Chance To Win Pick No. 1 | Chance To Win Top-3 Pick |
| Boston Celtics | 25.0 % | 64.3 % |
| Phoenix Suns | 19.9 % | 55.8 % |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 15.6 % | 46.9 % |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 11.9 % | 37.8 % |
| Orlando Magic | 8.8 % | 29.1 % |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 5.3 % | 18.3 % |
| New York Knicks | 5.3 % | 18.3 % |
| Sacramento Kings | 2.8 % | 9.9 % |
| Dallas Mavericks | 1.7 % | 6.0 % |
| Sacramento Kings | 1.1 % | 4.0 % |
| Charlotte Hornets | 0.8 % | 2.9 % |
| Detroit Pistons | 0.7 % | 2.5 % |
| Denver Nuggets | 0.6 % | 2.2 % |
| Miami Heat | 0.5 % | 1.8 % |
| Tankathon | ||
Top Teams To Watch
Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers
These two teams go hand in hand for one reason: If the Lakers' pick lands outside the top three, then the 76ers will take their selection because it is only top-three protected.
A quick history on how that occurred: The 76ers acquired the pick in 2015 from the Phoenix Suns in a three-team deal that saw former 76ers point guard Michael Carter-Williams head to Milwaukee (Brandon Knight went from Phoenix to the Bucks). The Suns grabbed that Lakers pick in 2012 after they dealt Steve Nash to L.A.
Therefore, Philadelphia has Nash (and ex-general manager Sam Hinkie) to thank if it grabs the Lakers pick.
Currently, Los Angeles has a 46.9-percent chance of getting that top-three pick, meaning that Philadelphia has slightly better than coin-flip odds to steal the selection.
Imagine if the 76ers get the No. 1 pick and the Lakers' selection slots in at No. 4, meaning the 76ers would have two of the top four picks in the NBA draft. Maybe Hinkie was right all along.
Boston Celtics
The C's, one of just five teams remaining in the NBA postseason, are guaranteed a top-four pick and have a 25 percent chance of landing the No. 1 selection in a loaded NBA draft. Needless to say, they are in a pretty good spot.
Boston acquired the pick from the Brooklyn Nets in a trade that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce out of town.
It will be interesting to see where Boston goes with this pick. The 2017 NBA draft is rich with point guard talent, but Boston's best player is star point guard Isaiah Thomas, who averaged 28.9 points per game this year and led the C's to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
However, Thomas' contract ends in 2018, when IT will be 29 years old. Of course, that isn't ancient by any means, but one has to wonder whether Boston would acquire a younger, cheaper point guard and slot him in as the floor general for the next 15 years.
Sacramento Kings
Admittedly, the Kings are a far less interesting basketball team with DeMarcus Cousins out of town, but they do hold two lottery picks in this year's draft.
Currently, those picks are in the No. 8 and No. 10 slots, but by virtue of having two lottery selections, they slightly increase their chances of one of those picks landing in the top three.
It is even possible for both of those picks to be in the top three, although the chances of that happening are quite slim.
Sacramento has some interesting young players, such as Buddy Hield and Willie Cauley-Stein. Adding two more lottery picks to that team could make them a dark-horse pick for a No. 8 seed next year.