2012 NBA Lottery Order: Teams with Most to Lose During Draft Drawing

The NBA draft lottery determines the fate and fortunes of franchises almost a month before the actual event takes place.

That is plenty of time for teams to decide whom they will select with the hand they were dealt, and it’s also an unbearably long wait for those unlucky organizations that got screwed by the system.

Let’s take a look at three lottery teams that are hoping their numbers come up in tonight’s drawing. 

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets have a 7.5 percent chance to score the No. 1 pick and a 25.19 percent shot at landing a top-three selection. If they don’t luck out as a longshot and their selection falls anywhere from No. 4 on down, Brooklyn will have to ship it to Portland as part of the Gerald Wallace deal.

If that happens, it’s more likely that star PG Deron Williams decides to take his talents elsewhere this summer as a free agent.

There would be no Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, Thomas Robinson or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist incoming to help resuscitate the floundering franchise and little reason for D-Will to stick around.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors have already caught a huge break during a coin-flip tiebreaker back in late April.

They edged the Toronto Raptors for the seventh slot in the lottery and earned a significantly improved chance to draft No. 7 or better.

Golden State now has a 72.4 percent shot of retaining their own first-round pick this season (they acquired a late first-rounder from San Antonio in the Stephen Jackson deal), but will have to package it to Utah if it falls outside of the top seven.

Considering that the GSW traded away star Monta Ellis at the deadline and have no real up-and-coming talent on the roster aside from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the team desperately needs to hold onto their pick.

Charlotte Bobcats

As everyone well knows by now, the Bobcats set the bar for futility during the 2011-12 season and almost deserve the No. 1 overall pick.

However, teams with the worst record rarely win the lottery. The last time that happened, the Orlando Magic drafted Dwight Howard all the way back in 2004.

Charlotte is hoping that another big man can come in and save their franchise—6’10” Kentucky product Anthony Davis.

They need a lot of luck—even if the odds technically say they don’t—to secure the top pick and a surefire superstar.