NBA Lottery 2016: Date, Time, TV Schedule, Livestream and More
It's not overly dramatic to say the 2016 NBA draft lottery could greatly affect the future of the league.
While there are no sure things when it comes to the draft, Ben Simmons of LSU and Brandon Ingram of Duke seem to be the clear top two picks in this class and will almost certainly be taken No. 1 and No. 2 overall in some order. The question is which teams will be able to land these talented players.
The Philadelphia 76ers had the worst record in the league and in turn have the highest odds, but that doesn't always lead to getting the No. 1 pick. While the Minnesota Timberwolves were able to keep their pick last year, it was the first time since 2004 the team with the worst record ended up selecting first overall.
The luck of the draw could send a wide variety of teams into the top three and create a different look in the NBA based on who they are able to select. This means no matter which team you are a fan of, you don't want to miss such an impactful event.
2016 NBA Draft Lottery
When: Tuesday, May 17
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Livestream: WatchESPN
| 1 | Philadelphia 76ers | 25% | 64.3% |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | 19.9% | 55.8% |
| 3 | Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets) | 15.6% | 46.9% |
| 4 | Phoenix Suns | 11.9% | 37.8% |
| 5 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 8.8% | 29.1% |
| 6 | New Orleans Pelicans | 6.3% | 21.5% |
| 7 | Denver Nuggets (via New York Knicks) | 4.3% | 15% |
| 8 | Sacramento Kings | 1.9% | 6.8% |
| 9 | Toronto Raptors (via Denver Nuggets) | 1.9% | 6.8% |
| 10 | Milwaukee Bucks | 1.8% | 6.5% |
| 11 | Orlando Magic | 0.8% | 2.9% |
| 12 | Utah Jazz | 0.7% | 2.5% |
| 13 | Phoenix Suns (via Washington Wizards) | 0.6% | 2.2% |
| 14 | Chicago Bulls | 0.5% | 1.8% |
Preview
One of the biggest stories regarding this draft is the trade market, both with completed deals and those that still could take place down the line.
The Boston Celtics are already the big winners in this draft thanks to the Brooklyn Nets pick they acquired when trading Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. While at the time this seemed like it would be somewhere in the 20s, the pick instead sits at No. 3 with the chance of moving up to No. 1.
This would represent quite an addition for a team that already tied for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
On the other hand, CBS Sports Radio hosts James Stewart and Adam Kaufman both believe the Celtics could turn around and trade this pick, although Kaufman thinks it might depend on the final location:
Another team that could be open for trades is the 76ers, who already have three picks in the first round. They are set with the No. 24 and No. 26 selections toward the end of the first round, but they could also theoretically end up with the No. 1 and No. 4 picks as well. In addition to their own lottery pick, they would gain control of the Los Angeles Lakers' selection if it falls out of the top three.
Based on the odds above, Philadelphia's chances of earning a second lottery pick are a decent 44.2 percent.
New president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo explained his willingness to listen to potential deals in the event the team ends up with two high picks, per Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com:
"It's hard to put a number or a value on degree of aggressiveness, but we'll certainly be open for business and listening to whatever is there. I think any time you have certain assets on the table in front of you, you need to determine what your best strategic move is, and some of that is yet to be determined. To what degree we'll be aggressive, it's too early to say.
"
After a few miserable years for the organization on the court, it might be nice to add a proven veteran to go along with the young talent already on the roster.
Meanwhile, there are a handful of other trades already on the books that will lead to plenty of drama on lottery night.
The New York Knicks had the seventh-worst record in the league, but they will be without a first-round pick, as they traded it to the Denver Nuggets. However, the Nuggets also have the right to swap their spot in the draft with the Toronto Raptors if the pick ends up higher. This means Denver is up to a 6.2 percent chance of earning the No. 1 overall pick by combining two different selections. Toronto will get the second-best option in this group.
A similar situation takes place with the Sacramento Kings, who also technically have no chance for a No. 1 pick. They would be forced to swap picks with the 76ers if their pick is higher, slightly improving Philadelphia's already high odds of ending on top. On the other hand, anything outside the top 10 would send the pick to the Chicago Bulls. That came through the Cleveland Cavaliers in a couple of deals.
The Kings have the ninth-best odds at the moment and probably don't want to push their luck considering they could lose a pick altogether.
Finally, the Washington Wizards are likely to send their pick to the Phoenix Suns unless they get some luck of their own on lottery night. The selection is protected No. 1 through No. 9, so a spot in the top three (2.2 percent odds) means they can keep the pick for another year. Otherwise, the Suns are looking at a much-needed second selection in the lottery.
Much of this confusion will clear up as soon as the pingpong balls are drawn Tuesday, but then more fun starts as teams figure out what they will do with their newly minted draft picks. No matter what happens, there will likely be a lot of drama leading up to the draft on June 23.
Note: Trade information courtesy of RealGM.
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