The NBA Draft Lottery will take place Tuesday night, and while this year’s draft class doesn’t have a singular iconic talent atop the prospect heap, there are plenty of players who could potentially make a huge difference for their new teams immediately.
Here are all the details you need to know about the lottery, which will assign the top 14 picks in the draft.
What Time Does the NBA Draft Lottery Start?
Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Central time.
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Where Can I Watch It?
The NBA Draft Lottery will air on ESPN prior to Game 2 of the Western Conference finals between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. The Suns lead the best-of-seven series after winning Game 1 Sunday.
The NBA Draft will take place July 29 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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What Are the Bulls’ of Getting the Top Pick?
The Chicago Bulls currently have a 4.5% chance of landing the top overall pick. They have a 20.2% chance of picking in the top four, according to the NBA, with a 4.8% chance of picking second, a 5.2% chance of picking third and a 5.7% chance of picking fourth.
The Bulls’ best odds are of landing either the eighth (34.5%) or ninth (36.2%) pick in the draft.
There is a HUGE caveat to the Bulls’ spot in the draft. As part of the trade that landed center Nikola Vucevic earlier this year, the Bulls traded a conditional first round pick to the Orlando Magic.
If the Bulls’ pick falls outside of the top four selections, then the pick will go to the Magic. If it lands within the top four, the Bulls will get to keep it.
Who Has the Best Odds?
The Houston Rockets, who finished with the league’s worst record, are guaranteed a top five pick in the draft, and have a 14% chance of landing the top overall selection, tied for the best odds with the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic.
Here are the odds of each team obtaining that top selection:
Houston – 14%
Detroit – 14%
Orlando – 14%
Oklahoma City – 11.5%
Cleveland – 11.5%
Minnesota – 9%
Toronto – 7.5%
Chicago – 4.5%
Sacramento – 4.5%
New Orleans – 4.5%
Charlotte – 1.8%
San Antonio – 1.7%
Indiana – 1%
Golden State – 0.5%
Who Are Some of the Top Players Available?
Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham is emerging as the top potential player on the board in this year’s draft. Cunningham averaged 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 27 games for the Cowboys this season, and was the Big 12 Player of the Year.
USC forward Evan Mobley, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, is also among the top prospects available, averaging 16.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game for the Trojans.
G League standout Jalen Green has also turned heads, as has Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs.
Florida State’s Scottie Barnes, who was named to the All-ACC Team and was the Sixth Man of the Year in the conference, averaged 10.3 points, four rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season.
