Winning the NBA Draft lottery may be less important this year — it’s a draft that contains some diamonds in the rough but no clear franchise cornerstones. There is no Victor Wimpanyama or Anthony Edwards at the top of this draft. This draft will be about smart evaluation and player development.
However, it’s better to win the lottery than lose it – the GM can get a clear board and shoot his man.
Look at the winners and losers of The 2024 NBA lottery will be held Sunday in Chicago.
Loser: Detroit Pistons
Why do the basketball gods hate Detroit?
For the second year in a row, they had the worst record in the NBA and, therefore, the best chance for a No. 1 seed. For the second year in a row, the Pistons fell to fifth place, the furthest they can go in the NBA system. Two years ago, in the Paolo Panchero/Chet Holmgren draft, the Pistons had the third-worst record in the NBA and… fell to fifth in the lottery. This June will be three consecutive years in fifth place.
NBA pundits and analysts like to point this out The smart choices and player development that brought in Minnesota and Oklahoma City deep into the second round of the playoffs – but they were both lucky, too. Minnesota won the lottery twice and drafted Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. Oklahoma City got lucky in the lottery with the No. 2 pick and Holmgren, a key part of their success this season.
Detroit can’t catch a break. They did that with Cade Cunningham a few years ago, but the last couple of years have been rough, and it’s very difficult to build a winner when the breaks are against you.
Winner: Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks had a 3% chance of the No. 1 pick and less than a 10% chance of landing in the top three.
Atlanta is now on the clock – and will continue until June 27. They have the No. 1 pick for the first time in franchise history.
The timing fits with what is expected to be an offseason of roster turmoil — Atlanta is expected to try to trade Trae Young and, if it’s not Dejounte Murray, retool the roster. Acquiring the No. 1 pick — whether they use him on a wing like Zaccharie Risacher or a center who can protect the rim like Alex Sarr, or someone else — allows the Hawks to acquire a quality player who can be part of any team Quin. Snyder and the team will build in Atlanta.
A smart trade that brings back quality players with better shape, plus a good No. 1 pick, and suddenly the Hawks’ future looks brighter.
Loser: Toronto Raptors
Their pick was in the top six and they had a 46% chance of keeping or moving up. They didn’t. The Raptors – after some ugly play at the end of the season looking to improve their chances of retaining the pick – fell to eighth in the draft, meaning their pick goes to the Spurs this year.
The Raptors will still pick 19th overall using the Pacers’ pick.
It leaves Toronto with an interesting choice as they now control their pick for next year (if they had kept him this year, the Spurs would have gotten him next year). There’s talent on the roster — Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley — but if things start slow, would the Raptors be better off with the top lottery odds? The 2025 draft is expected to feature some franchise players at the top of the board.
Winner: Houston Rockets
Houston doesn’t want to use its option this year; Intend to trade them for future picks While they use free agency to bring in players who can help them more now.
Trading the pick became much easier because the Brooklyn Nets’ pick owned by the Rockets jumped to third. (The Rockets’ pick moved to the Spurs this year in a separate trade.) Dealing the pick in what’s not considered a strong draft at the top isn’t ideal, but doing so at No. 3 is much better than if they had the No. 8 pick or something later.
Winner: Washington Wizards
The equation here is simple: The Washington Wizards desperately need more talent on the roster, and it better be young, athletic talent. Washington now has the No. 2 pick, where they can get someone who fits that mold.
There are a lot of other things that need to change in Washington, too, but this is a good start.
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