NBA Lottery 2018: Date, Time, TV Schedule, Live Stream and More

It's officially the offseason for 26 NBA franchises, and they are gearing up for the first step in their plans to retool for next season—the 2018 draft.

But before anyone can make any selections, the draft order must be determined, and that's why so many teams wait with bated breath for the draft lottery.

There are no guarantees in the lottery, but the teams with the best chance of landing the No. 1 pick are the Phoenix Suns (25 percent), Memphis Grizzlies (19.9 percent) and Dallas Mavericks (13.8 percent).

Here are the rest of the odds before the pingpong balls fly.

2018 NBA Lottery Odds

1. Phoenix Suns; Top-three pick (64.2 percent), No. 1 pick (25 percent)

2. Memphis Grizzlies: Top-three pick (55.8 percent), No. 1 pick (19.9 percent)

3. Dallas Mavericks: Top-three pick (42.5 percent), No. 1 pick (13.8 percent)

4. Atlanta Hawks: Top-three pick (42.4 percent), No. 1 pick (13.7 percent)

5. Orlando Magic: Top-three pick (29.1 percent), No. 1 pick (8.8 percent)

6. Chicago Bulls: Top-three pick (18.3 percent), No. 1 pick (5.3 percent)

7. Sacramento Kings: Top-three pick (18.3 percent), No. 1 pick (5.3 percent)

8. Cleveland Cavaliers: Top-three pick (10.0 percent), No. 1 pick (2.8 percent)

9. New York Knicks: Top-three pick (6.1 percent), No. 1 pick (1.7 percent)

10. Philadelphia 76ers: Top-three pick (4.0 percent), No. 1 pick (1.1 percent)

11. Charlotte Hornets: Top-three pick (2.9 percent), No. 1 pick (0.8 percent)

12. Los Angeles Clippers: Top-three pick (2.5 percent), No. 1 pick (0.7 percent)

13. Los Angeles Clippers: Top-three pick (2.2 percent), No. 1 pick (0.6 percent)

14. Denver Nuggets: Top-three pick (1.8 percent), No. 1 pick (0.5 percent)

When and Where to Watch

ESPN will air the lottery on Tuesday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m. ET. It will be held at Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, the first time in NBA history it will take place outside of New Jersey and New York.

For those who can't catch the action on a television, the event will be streaming on WatchESPN.

Best Fits for the Top 3

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Mock drafts at this point are as different as fingerprints, but the top three picks are basically the same names on all of them: Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic and Marvin Bagley III.

The order they're selected definitely varies, but those are the three players across the board.

Ayton is the perfect fit for the Phoenix Suns because they need a big man who is NBA-ready and can contribute right away.

The Arizona standout is an explosive athlete with an impressive skill set on offense, and he could potentially team up well with the Suns' current star, Devin Booker in the pick-and-roll game.

He's got some serious deficiencies on the defensive end, but for Phoenix, it will have to be about solving one problem at a time.

Doncic is a great match for the Memphis Grizzlies. They lack an identity, and the way to restore that is to add players who not only stand out, but who will have an influence on the rest of the team with how they lead and how they affect the game.

Doncic is a confident 19-year old who has won at every level, including the professional one.

He's a savvy passer with outstanding ball-handling skills, and that kind of unselfishness will rub off on his teammates and generate some much-needed team chemistry.

Should the Dallas Mavericks get the chance to take Bagley, they should jump at it.

They hit it out of the park last year with Dennis Smith Jr., so this year they need to bring in someone who can learn from their legend, Dirk Nowitzki.

Bagley doesn't have the footwork and feathery touch that Nowitzki has, but he averaged 21 points and 11.1 rebounds while at Duke, a program known for stunting a player's offensive prowess.

Working with Nowitzki could help the ACC Player of the Year polish his offensive game.

Bagley already has the right attitude and wants to be a great player, and he'll get the best chance to accomplish that goal in Dallas.