NBA Lottery 2012: Franchises That Will Benefit Most from Winning No. 1 Pick

The 2012 NBA draft lottery is going to be an extremely important time for a number of teams. Fans of lottery-bound franchises will want to tune in on Wednesday, May 30 to catch the drawing on ESPN, which starts at 8 p.m. ET.

Most hoops junkies know just how much getting lucky in a lottery can change the future of an organization. The Chicago Bulls were fortunate enough to draw the No. 1 overall pick back in 2008 with only a 1.7 percent chance of winning. They used it to select Derrick Rose and the rest, they say, is history.

Let’s take a look at the teams that sorely need the luck this year.

Brooklyn Nets

This team could be a potential playoff contender or it could be a gutted shell of a roster depending on how the ping pong balls bounce.

Before moving to Brooklyn, the Nets decided to trade a top-three protected lottery pick to Portland in exchange for Gerald Wallace. If they can’t get their pick to land in those first three, the Nets are in trouble.

They will likely lose star Deron Williams to free agency and it’s a high probability Wallace signs with a contender as well.

On the other hand, if they get the top pick (7.5 percent chance they do), the Nets will be competing with Anthony Davis playing center, Brook Lopez at the 4, Wallace on the wing, MarShon Brooks at SG and D-Will running point.

Cleveland Cavaliers

It would be wild if Cleveland were to get lucky in back-to-back years. The Cavaliers have a 13.8 percent chance of winning this season, much better than the 2.8 percent shot they had last year with the LA Clippers’ selection.

They could use it to instantly bolster their frontcourt with Davis and give them a second straight Rookie of the Year candidate after Kyrie Irving ran away with it in 2012.

The Cavs would be right back in the playoff hunt if they were to luck out and win the lotto.

Sacramento Kings

It seems that the Kings have been rebuilding for years. They have not made the playoffs since the 2007 season and haven’t had more than 25 wins in the past four years.

While things are finally looking bright in Sactown—due to the emergence of DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas, among other young players—adding a future superstar is their biggest priority.

Anthony Davis fills that requirement and would form a fearsome and formidable duo in the paint with “Boogie” Cousins.