The 2016 NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for Tuesday, May 17th at 8:00PM EST, and is shaping up to be one of the most influential draft lotteries since 2003 when Cleveland selected LeBron James 1st overall, and players like Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade followed soon after.
However, this year’s draft will likely be less known for the talent it produces, than the intrigue it will bring. Two storied franchises are trailing just the Philadelphia 76ers who have a 25% chance of landing the #1 overall pick this year. The Los Angeles Lakers with a 19.9% chance, and the Boston Celtics with a 15.6% chance thanks to their 2013 trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The Phoenix Suns have a 11.9% chance, and the Minnesota Timberwolves round out the top 5 teams at 8.8%.
2016 NBA Draft Lottery (ESPN)
- When: Tuesday, May 17, 2016
- Time: Coverage begins at 8:00PM EST
Some interesting notes regarding the 1st overall pick. The Toronto Raptors and the Sacramento Kings are ineligible for the #1 pick due to swap rights. The Denver Nuggets are set to receive the #1 pick if Toronto wins the lottery, and similarly, Sacramento and Philadelphia will swap their respective draft picks if the Kings finish with a pick in front of the 76’ers.
2016 Draft Lottery Odds to Pick First
- Philadelphia 76ers: 25.0%
- Los Angeles Lakers: 19.9%
- Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets): 15.6%
- Phoenix Suns: 11.9%
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 8.8%
- New Orleans Pelicans: 6.3%
- Denver Nuggets (via New York Knicks): 4.3%
- Sacramento Kings: 1.9%
- Toronto Raptors (via Nuggets): 1.9%
- Milwaukee Bucks: 1.8%
- Orlando Magic: 0.8%
- Utah Jazz: 0.7%
- Phoenix Suns (via Washington Wizards): 0.6%
- Chicago Bulls: 0.5%
What isn’t much of a mystery are the top two prospects in the draft. LSU’s Ben Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram are widely expected to go 1-2 on June 23rd when the NBA holds its annual draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn New York.
What is always entertaining about the lottery is that lady luck could vault a wide variety of teams into the top three spots. This year should offer even more intrigue as the numerous possible combinations are likely to produce very different results in terms of what teams do with their pick in the trade market. This is the first time that the three favorites in the draft, Philadelphia, Boston, and Los Angeles, are all heavily rumored to be open to trading their pick should they land ion the top three.
Obviously much of the confusion will cleared up as soon as the announcements are made on Tuesday. It’s then when the real fun starts as teams begin gearing up for the draft and free agency with their newly draft picks in hand.
