Did The NBA Draft Lottery Cost The New Jersey Nets a Shot at LeBron?

On Tuesday night, the Washington Wizards won the NBA's draft lottery. The Wizards, who had less than 11 percent odds to win the lottery, are now the favorites to land Kentucky guard John Wall.

And the New Jersey Nets need a big box of Kleenex.

The LeBron Derby is shaping up to be a heated bidding war between the Cavs, Bulls, Nets, Knicks and perhaps a darkhorse from the Western Conference. Many national analysts believe the Bulls are the favorite, but the Nets and Knicks have the bright lights of Broadway to offer as well as a lot of money.

The Nets, who had the worst record in the NBA this year, had better than 25 percent odds to win the lottery on Tuesday night, but ended up with the third overall pick. This could complicate their chances of landing James.

If the Nets had landed the top overall pick, they could have had some chips to play with in a potential sign-and-trade deal with Cleveland for LeBron. New Jersey already has a solid point guard in Devin Harris, but that's the position Wall plays; it isn't likely that the Nets would have drafted Wall and kept Harris.

Harris is, however, one of the faster guards in the NBA and has a lot of skill at the point. If the Nets had the ability to move either Harris or the top overall pick, presumably Wall, the Cavs would certainly have to listen.

Considering the Bulls are in the Cavs division, and will pick at the bottom of the middle-third of the draft, the likelihood of a sign-and-trade inside the division isn't a reality. Frankly, Danny Ferry would need full-time bodyguards if he dealt LeBron inside the Central Division.

The Knicks could work a sign-and-trade with one of their young players, perhaps David Lee or Wilson Chandler, but moving one of the few pieces they have off their roster would make them a less desirable destination for a guy with every option in the world for a new home.

So the most likely way LeBron got the most money to play outside of Cleveland was a sign-and-trade, and New Jersey had great chances at having two elite point guards for the Cavs to pick from.

And then the lottery happened.

Now, the Nets would probably need to use the third overall pick on Derrick Favors, an athletic player who's more appropriate to play power forward in the Eastern Conference than Yi Jianlian or Josh Boone, to build a roster to sell to LeBron.

Where things stand right now, the Bulls can present a big, Joakim Noah, and an elite point guard, Derrick Rose, to LeBron. The Knicks can offer Chandler and, if he stays, Lee as potential wingmen for LeBron.

Harris and Favors don't stack up with either of those tandems.

By losing the NBA's Draft Lottery, there's a good chance that the Nets may have lost their best chance to land LeBron this summer.