Key Takeaways from NBA Draft Lottery

by Sam Cox

image Key Takeaways from NBA Draft Lottery
How has the draft lottery impacted the NBA?

The 2026 NBA draft lottery was conducted between Sunday’s two playoff games. It’s one of the more influential lotteries in recent history, with pick protections creating a variety of permutations, and a stacked, deep class expected to produce numerous All-NBA players.

Anyone who was making NBA picks in 2025-26 will be aware tanking reached new levels of absurdity in the final few weeks of the regular season, prompting Adam Silver to once again make changes to how the lottery works. This season could be the end of an era for rebuilding teams trying to enhance their lottery odds, and the majority of tanking teams were able to celebrate on Sunday night.

Draft Lottery Result

  1. Washington Wizards
  2. Utah Jazz
  3. Memphis Grizzlies
  4. Chicago Bulls
  5. Los Angeles Clippers (via Indiana Pacers)
  6. Brooklyn Nets
  7. Sacramento Kings
  8. Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans Pelicans)
  9. Dallas Mavericks
  10. Milwaukee Bucks
  11. Golden State Warriors
  12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Los Angeles Clippers)
  13. Miami Heat
  14. Charlotte Hornets

Here are a few key takeaways from Sunday’s lottery:

Worst-Case Pacers Outcome

The Ivica Zubac trade created plenty of intrigue in this draft. Indiana sent its first-round pick, protected 1-4 and 10-30, in the deal along with their 2029 first. The Pacers had a 52.1% chance of landing in the top four after a tanktastic end to the regular season.

Sunday’s lottery pushed the Pacers down to fifth. The Clippers, who were at risk of not having a pick in a loaded draft, are selecting fifth and still have Indiana’s 2029 first to come.

Kevin Pritchard, Indiana’s president of basketball operations, took to social media to apologise to the fans.

"I'm really sorry to all our fans. I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember - this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient."

The Clippers could add a potential franchise cornerstone at fifth to build around with Darius Garland, or they could flip the pick in a win-now move to try and contend while Kawhi Leonard is still playing at an elite level. The former is the more sensible option, but we wouldn’t rule out a trade.

Washington Has Rare Hope

Trading for Trae Young and Anthony Davis was surprising. Washington’s plan was clear – they intended to tank the year and add a transformational player next to their veteran duo.

Winning the lottery gives the Wizards a rare glimmer of hope. Young and Davis aren’t going to be the pick-and-roll pairing on a title team, but they can usher in a new era with AJ Dybansta, Alex Sarr, and Kyshawn George.

This should be a top eight team in the Eastern Conference next season. Acquiring the two veteran former All-Stars suddenly looks like a shrewd move.

Nets Lose Out Again

Brooklyn fell to eighth in last year’s draft. This time around, they had a 52.1% chance of landing in the top four and a 14% chance of getting the first overall pick. It didn’t work out, though, as the Nets fell to sixth.

The Rockets have swap rights for the Nets’ 2027 first-round pick, so Brooklyn might be in a rush to be more competitive. The sixth pick would have plenty of value in trade talks, though this roster is hardly ready to compete with their four 2025 first-round picks doing little to suggest they will be winning players any time soon.

There’s no benefit in the Nets tanking next year. Brooklyn shouldn’t sacrifice their long-term future because of the optics of a pick swap, however. It’s worth staying the course with whoever they can acquire at sixth and putting him with Egor Dёmin, Nolan Traoré, and Noah Clowney.

Overdue Jazz Luck

Utah was due some lottery luck. This is the first time they have picked in the top three since 2011. Selected fifth last year, Ace Bailey is an exciting prospect, but he wasn’t as impactful in his rookie year as the four players taken ahead of him.

With the second overall pick in 2026, all reporting points towards the Jazz picking Darryn Peterson. A three-level scorer at the two, Peterson fits in perfectly with Utah’s core of Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler.

Peterson doesn’t need to be an immediate All-Star for the Jazz to be competitive in 2026-27. His upside as a scorer is what could make Utah into a seriously dangerous team at the back end of this decade.