NBA Lottery 2013: Teams That Desperately Need to Win Lottery

The 2013 NBA lottery is set for Tuesday, May 21 and an abundance of teams are hoping to get lucky.

There are, however, a few that need it more than the rest of the pool.

For one, the NBA draft features some impressive prospects in Indiana's Victor Oladipo, Georgetown's Otto Porter and Michigan's Trey Burke. Clearly landing one of these talents, among others, will propel the bottom-feeders forward and potentially into the 2014 postseason picture.

So, with the lottery on the horizon, let's see who needs to win it the most.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Although Cleveland has great young talent in Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers play in a deep division.

The Central Division sent three teams to the postseason, not to mention the Chicago Bulls did it without Derrick Rose. The Indiana Pacers have reached the Eastern Conference finals, and the Milwaukee Bucks were better than their record indicated.

Therefore, having the opportunity to land a guy like Porter or Oladipo will significantly boost Cleveland ahead. It's a physically tough and defensive division, but the Cavs can gain a competitive edge with an upgraded offense.

Not getting this luxury, however, will make contending for the 2014 playoffs increasingly difficult.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns finished last in the Pacific Division that sent three teams to the postseason.

That said, even though the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers bowed out in Round 1, Phoenix remains a solid distance from challenging for the postseason. Lacking at each end of the floor in 2013-14, the Suns tied for the worst road (8-33) and second-worst divisional (5-11) record in the West Conference this season.

With good fortunate in the lottery, though, they can make up solid ground in the next campaign.

Oladipo will obviously help the versatility at each end, whereas Cody Zeller or Anthony Bennett would suffice in the frontcourt. Nerlens Noel is the ideal fit, but Phoenix's only real odds for him are by receiving the top pick.

New Orleans Pelicans

Another team in a tough division are the New Orleans Pelicans.

The San Antonio Spurs remain elite, and the Memphis Grizzlies are on the rise. Plus, these two are squaring off in this year's Western Conference finals.

In addition, New Orleans sported the second-worst conference record (15-37) in the West this season. Factor in the situation with Eric Gordon and the offseason may only get worse. According to Bradley Handwerger of WWLTV-CBS 4 on April 22, general manager Dell Demps is looking at all options:

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“To say if I anticipate him [Gordon] being back – I don’t know if that’s something I can answer right now, or him not to be back. We’re going to sit down and evaluate every situation and opportunity,” Demps said.

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No matter what transpires, getting a top pick from the lotto will definitely address a key need. Whether it's Burke, Zeller or Alex Len, the Pelicans have to spruce up their offense or depth in the paint.