NBA Lottery 2017: TV Schedule, Live Stream and Preview for Anticipated Event
For many teams in the NBA, today is the most important date on the basketball calendar.
Forget the playoffs, forget about chasing rings. All of the tanking and heartache from losing so many regular-season games finally pays off as the 2017 NBA draft lottery is here with some familiar faces (and some not) hoping that the pingpong balls drop in their favor for the No. 1 overall pick.
This year's draft is so deep that even if a team strikes out on the top pick, they shouldn't be too upset with having the third or fourth selection. With names like Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum and De'Aaron Fox, it won't be too difficult for teams to find franchise players in this year's class.
Here's a quick look at some information you'll need to know heading into Tuesday's lottery, via Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype:
| Boston (via Brooklyn) | 20-62 (BKN) | 64.3% | 25.0% |
| Phoenix | 24-58 | 55.8% | 19.9% |
| LA Lakers | 26-56 | 46.9% | 15.6% |
| Philadelphia | 28-54 | 37.8% | 11.9% |
| Orlando | 29-53 | 29.1% | 8.8% |
| Minnesota | 31-51 | 18.3% | 5.3% |
| New York | 31-51 | 18.3% | 5.3% |
| Sacramento | 32-50 | 9.9% | 2.8% |
| Dallas | 33-49 | 6.1% | 1.7% |
| Sacramento (via New Orleans) | 34-48 (NOP) | 4.0% | 1.1% |
| Charlotte | 36-46 | 2.9% | 0.8% |
| Detroit | 37-45 | 2.5% | 0.7% |
| Denver | 40-42 | 2.2% | 0.6% |
| Miami | 41-41 | 1.8% | 0.5% |
ESPN will cover this year's lottery, with the kickoff show happening at 7:30 p.m. ET. The lottery broadcast begins at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The live stream of the event will be available on WatchESPN. Bleacher Report will also run a live blog along with the event.
Here's a look at who will be representing each team in this year's lottery:
| Boston Celtics | Wyc Grousbeck |
| Phoenix Suns | Devin Booker |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Magic Johnson |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Joel Embiid |
| Orlando Magic | Frank Vogel |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | Andrew Wiggins |
| New York Knicks | Walt Frazier |
| Sacramento Kings | Dave Joerger |
| Dallas Mavericks | Michael Finley |
| New Orleans Pelicans | Alvin Gentry |
| Charlotte Hornets | Rich Cho |
| Detroit Pistons | Jeff Bower |
| Denver Nuggets | Gary Harris |
| Miami Heat | Alonzo Mourning |
Teams to watch
Boston Celtics
Clinch the No. 1 seed during the regular season: Check.
Make it to the Eastern Conference Finals: Check.
Have the No. 1 pick in this year's draft: It could happen.
With a guaranteed top-four selection in this year's draft with the best odds (25 percent) at the No. 1 pick via the infamous Brooklyn Nets trade in 2013, it's a good time to be a Celtics fan.
Even with the best odds for the top pick in the draft, there is also a chance that the pick could fall to Nos. 2, 3 or 4. In any instance, the worst-case scenario is any playoff contender's dream. The only real uncertainty surrounding this pick is what general manager Danny Ainge will do with it.
Will he draft Fultz No. 1 overall if Boston wins the lottery? Or will he use the pick in a package to trade for a star player like Paul George or Jimmy Butler?
The options are endless for the Celtics and there doesn't appear to be any downside to any scenario, although Celtics fans will hope that they win the lottery after failing on multiple occasions, most famously in the 1997 NBA draft when the Celtics missed out on Tim Duncan despite having two selections in the lottery, which turned out to be the Nos. 3 and 6 picks.
Head coach Brad Stevens and his players will be fixated on Wednesday's Eastern Conference Finals opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but Ainge and the rest of his front office will have a lot to think about, regardless if they win the lottery or not.
Los Angeles Lakers
For all the hype that surrounds the Lakers and the chance that they might draft Lonzo Ball and adopt his father, LaVar Ball, in the process, there's a very real possibility that Los Angeles doesn't keep its selection in this year's draft, despite what president of basketball operations Magic Johnson says.
The Lakers have a 46.9 percent at a top-three pick, which is great and all if that didn't mean that there was also a 53.1 percent chance that it lands outside of the top three. And if that happens, then the Lakers' pick goes to the Philadelphia 76ers, who could potentially have two top-five selections in the draft because of the 2012 Steve Nash trade.
A pick outside the top three would mean the Lakers will also have to send a 2019 first-rounder to the Orlando Magic for the Dwight Howard debacle.
The Lakers have a healthy amount of young talent with the likes of D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. continuing to improve with more minutes they get. But the Lakers, just like the Celtics, is not a franchise that likes to lose and want to give its fanbase something to cheer about to get this rebuild over with.
The Lakers will have to pay the piper at some point by surrendering one of their first-round picks, but they're hoping it won't have to be this year's class, which is one of the more talented drafts we've seen in recent years.
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