The NBA Offseason Starts Tonight With The Draft Lottery
The NBA offseason is a lot of fun. The cold war among NBA franchises to follow their own agenda in the arms race is a compelling series of storylines. Thanks to modern media we can follow every step.
While the NBA’s conference finals are just getting going as we reach the climax of the season, every NBA fan is at least a little curious as to how the NBA Draft Lottery will go. It’s a dramatic 15 minutes that is basically the start to how franchises can begin making plans for the rapidly approaching NBA Draft. Here are the storylines to follow going into the draft:
Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets)
25.0%
Phoenix Suns
19.9%
Los Angeles Lakers
15.6%
Philadelphia 76ers
11.9%
Orlando Magic
8.8%
Minnesota Timberwolves
5.3%
New York Knicks
5.3%
Sacramento Kings
2.8%
Dallas Mavericks
1.7%
New Orleans Pelicans
1.1%
Charlotte Hornets
0.8%
Detroit Pistons
0.7%
Denver Nuggets
0.6%
Miami Heat
0.5%
Here are the big headlines:
Boston Has The Best Chance At The First Overall Pick
That’s right. A team in the Eastern Conference Finals has the best chance at the number one overall pick. In a masterful rebuild that Celtic’s GM Danny Ainge has not only positioned his group as one of the more complete teams in the NBA, but he also made out like a bandit getting unprotected first round picks from Brooklyn. Last year Boston selected Jaylen Brown third overall with the Nets’ pick; this year it just so happened that the Nets were the worst team in the NBA, making that pick worth a full 25% of the ping pong balls in the lottery. The Celtics will have a lot of assets to deal come draft night if a star player were to be put on the public trading block regardless of where the pick lands.
The Lakers Might Lose Their Pick To The 76ers
One of the more well-documented picks going into this lottery (because of the team that might lose it) is that well traveled Lakers’ first round pick. The Lakers traded this pick to Phoenix in the Steve Nash deal back in the offseason of 2012. Last year the Lakers also had their pick top 3 protected and took Brandon Ingram second overall. This year the Lakers hope to keep their first round pick again (obviously). In the event the Lakers stay in the top 3 of the draft then the 76ers will have the Lakers’ unprotected 2018 pick. The success of the Lakers’ offseason isn’t dependent on keeping this pick, but the Lakers’ tanked a good chunk of the season in attempt to keep it so the 2017 season would be even more of a disappointment than it already was if Philly gets the pick.
Philadelphia Could Have Two Picks In The Top Five
As mentioned above, the 76ers get the Lakers’ pick if the ping pong balls fall their way. Best case scenario Philly can have both the first and fourth overall picks. The worst case scenario has the 76ers falling back to the 6th overall pick and the Lakers keeping their pick. Either way, Philly is in position to add more talent and have a lot of cap space to sign free agents and make trades.
The fun begins tonight on ESPN at 7 PM central!