NBA Lottery 2016: TV Schedule, Livestream and Preview for Anticipated Event

The race for Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons concludes Tuesday night at the 2016 NBA draft lottery.

While most are left scratching their heads over an odd playoff bracket, the league hosts the one event that is sure to change the landscape of the league the most.

The lottery has a little bit of everything. Those Philadelphia 76ers and their odd rebuilding ways sit near the top, with the Los Angeles Lakers hanging around and even the Boston Celtics in on the chase for the top pick.

Free agency will say much about the landscape of the league as well, but Tuesday's event will in large part dictate who decides to go where this summer, too. Here's a look at how to catch the historic event.

2016 NBA Draft Lottery

When: Tuesday, May 17

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Livestream: WatchESPN

Preview

According to USA Today, the 76ers have the best odds to land the top selection, sitting on a whopping 25 percent.

Wild, right? The team with Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid now has another shot at a top overall player. And after some changes to the decision-makers this year, the 76ers might actually find themselves in position to get an elite guard.

Like the 76ers, years of futility might be coming to an end in the lottery for the Los Angeles Lakers. With Kobe Bryant gone, the Lakers hope to not only keep a top pick, but pursue major names such as Kevin Durant on the open market this summer.

Los Angeles has a 19.9 percent chance to land the top pick, but there's a major if involved—if the pick falls out of the top three, it goes to Philadelphia.

The stakes couldn't be higher. With Bryant leading the way, the Lakers just endured the worst season in franchise history at least in part to attain a pick this high. Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times explained what it would do to the franchise if the pick simply vanishes:

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The Lakers are in prime drafting position after finishing with the NBA's second-worst record. It's highly unlikely they finish with as few as 17 victories again next season. They have too much free-agent money to be this awful again, so their chance at a top-three pick will wane because someone will take their money this summer, even if it isn't Kevin Durant.

So this is it. Dropping out of the top three would be a debacle for the Lakers. A Nash-sized one.

"

Folks will notice the Los Angeles situation only helps the 76ers. It's the same for the Sacramento Kings, who help out the 76ers by being forced to swap with them should they land a higher pick.

On a more positive note, those Celtics sure look like an optimistic contender going into Tuesday. The credit goes to president Danny Ainge, who has the Celtics sitting on an armada of draft picks and a strong 15.6 percent stab at the top selection.

Remember, this chance at the top comes from the now-hilarious deal with the Brooklyn Nets involving Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. It's like Ainge told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe recently—he didn't expect things to look this good in 2016.

“I thought Brooklyn was going to be good,” Ainge said. “I thought that maybe the 2018 pick might have a chance to be a decent pick, but I really didn’t believe that 2016 pick would be where it is. I thought they had a chance to be a good team—like, a really good team.”

Like the Lakers, the Celtics sure wouldn't mind a stab at Simmons or Ingram, but perhaps even more so because the team just made the postseason with the current young roster.

Rounding out the chances for the top pick are the Phoenix Suns (11.9 percent) and Minnesota Timberwolves (8.8).

Call it a tale of two franchises. The Suns are in a serious state of flux while trying to build around Devin Booker and not lose too many pieces to free agency. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have an incredible young core headlined by Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Indeed, more than usual this draft seems like one able to swing the balance of power in a major way. As always, though, it comes down to how a controversial lottery system plays out.

The lottery itself is fun, but it's merely the beginning of a chaotic period sure to alter the landscape of the league, perhaps more than usual.

All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.