NBA Draft Lottery 2019: Projected Order and Odds for Every Team Involved

With the 2018-19 NBA regular season officially over, the league's worst teams can now turn their attention toward the NBA draft in hopes of transforming from cellar-dweller to contender.

The top prize is Duke freshman forward Zion Williamson, but which team will land at No. 1 to snag the 6'7", 285-pound phenomenon? And how will the draft shake out once Williamson is off the board?

The 2019 NBA draft lottery is set for May 14 in Chicago, which will leave about a month's time for preparation ahead of the June 20 draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 

The draft lottery's structure will be revamped this year. For the first time ever, the team with the worst record from the 2018-19 season will pick no lower than fifth rather than fourth. The franchises with the three worst records will all have a 14 percent to win the lottery, whereas the previous odds were more heavily slanted toward the worst teams. 

Below is a look at the teams making up this year's lottery along with each team's odds to own the top picks.

Projected Draft Order and Lottery Odds

1. New York Knicks (17-65); 14.0 percent chance for No. 1 pick; 52.1 percent for top-four pick

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-63); 14.0 percent; 52.1 percent

3. Phoenix Suns (19-63); 14.0 percent; 52.1 percent

4. Chicago Bulls (22-60); 12.5 percent; 48.0 percent

5. Atlanta Hawks (29-53); 10.5 percent; 42.1 percent

6. Washington Wizards (32-50); 9.0 percent; 37.2 percent

7. New Orleans Pelicans (33-49); 6.0 percent; 26.3 percent

8. Dallas Mavericks (33-49); 6.0 percent; 26.3 percent

9. Memphis Grizzlies (33-49); 6.0 percent; 26.3 percent

10. Minnesota Timberwolves (36-46); 3.0 percent; 13.9 percent

11. Los Angeles Lakers (37-45); 2.0 percent; 9.4 percent

12. Sacramento Kings (39-43); 1.0 percent; 4.8 percent

13. Miami Heat (39-43); 1.0 percent; 4.8 percent

14. Charlotte Hornets (39-43); 1.0 percent; 4.8 percent

Lottery odds via NBA.com and Tankathon.com

Picks on the Move

Two top-10 picks could change hands depending on how the lottery shakes out. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers owe a top-10-protected first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks, which will not convey this season. If it doesn't convey in 2020, the Cavaliers will instead send their 2021 second-rounder to Atlanta.

The Dallas Mavericks, however, are at risk of losing their first-rounder to Atlanta. 

The Mavericks sent a top-five-protected 2019 first-round pick as part of the 2018 draft-night trade for the Hawks' 2018 No. 3 overall draft pick (forward Luka Doncic). Dallas also sent its 2018 No. 5 overall pick (Trae Young) to Atlanta in that deal.

The Memphis Grizzlies are in a similar situation to the Cavaliers. They owe the Boston Celtics a first-round pick from a three-team trade from the 2014-15 season including the New Orleans Pelicans, which resulted in the Grizzlies acquiring forward Jeff Green from the Celtics. The Grizzlies' 2019 first-round pick is top-eight protected. 

Memphis finished this season tied for the seventh-worst record, which means that first-round pick could belong to Boston if the Grizzlies don't move up into the top four.

The Celtics are also likely to acquire the Sacramento Kings' first-round pick. The Kings will send their first-rounder to the Philadelphia 76ers if they win the lottery, but it will otherwise head to Boston.

Draft-pick information provided by RealGM.