The NBA Draft Lottery has not been kind to multiple franchises. After introducing the weighted odds in 1990, the NBA has seen plenty of bad-but-not-the-worst teams grab the first overall selection in drafts while the worst teams suffer the ill-fated luck.
Provided that the NBA announced it’s postponing the originally scheduled May 19 draft lottery this time around, it would seem even the league is experiencing bad draft-related luck. Still, this is the time of year for NBA fans crossing their fingers for ping-pong balls granting them the top-ranked prospects.
Further, winning the lottery and getting the No. 1 pick isn’t solely an excuse for good lottery luck. As detailed below, even teams that have won the lottery can overall experience bad luck in the long run.
5. Washington Wizards
The Wizards have a strange NBA Draft Lottery history—winning it all to draft first overall twice, accounting for two-thirds of the only instances they had any lottery luck.
The Wizards got to move up four spots in 2010 to take speedster point guard John Wall and rose five spots in 2013 for Otto Porter Jr.
Besides that, the D.C. franchise has fallen in the lottery 10 times in their 20 appearances. It hasn’t been all bad for the Wizards, though, as they fell one spot in 2012 and still drafted All-Star Bradley Beal, and just last year wound up with Gonzaga product by way of Japan in forward Rui Hachimura, who looks to have a bright NBA future.
4. Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings have only one No. 1 pick in their franchise’s NBA Draft-lottery history, and that was the oft-injured Pervis Ellison in 1989, which they moved up five spots to grab with the top selection. Since then, the Kings have moved up two more times—both five spots—and in back-to-back years. Unfortunately, in 2017, that pick ended up belonging to the Boston Celtics, who drafted Jayson Tatum at No. 3 after trading down from the first pick; Tatum was a first-time All-Star in 2020.
Overall, in 24 trips to the NBA’s Draft Lottery, the Kings have moved up three times, fell back 10 times, and stayed at their own spot 11 times. Fortunately, the Kings have also seen better scouting beat lottery odds; for example, they took Tyreke Evans (2009-10 Rookie of the Year) and All-Star DeMarcus Cousins in back-to-back lotteries where they moved back.
Unfortunately, though, the many lottery appearances for Sacramento haven’t been paired with many lottery successes.
3. Orlando Magic
The Magic won the lottery once in their franchise’s history, moving up one spot in 1992 and taking LSU stud Shaquille O’Neal, the future Hall of Famer who guided Orlando to its first Finals appearance in 1995. A year later, in 1993, the Magic were lucky in moving up a miraculous 10 spots to draft and trade Chris Webber from Michigan, who was sent to the Warriors for O’Neal running mate Penny Hardaway.
Besides that, Orlando hasn’t been very magical when it comes time to the lottery. The Magic have had picks in the lottery 18 times (including three first-round picks in 2000), and only moved up twice to get O’Neal and Webber, falling back six times, and staying where they were another 10 times. Strangely enough, the only two times the Magic moved up in the lottery were winning it all.
The most recent frustrating example was moving back a spot in the draft and missing out on Joel Embiid in 2013. One saving grace for Orlando, though, is a pretty good record of drafting well during their setback lottery years (Dennis Scott, Mike Miller, Victor Oladipo).
2. New York Knicks
The New York Knicks won the first-ever NBA Draft Lottery back in 1985—and have experienced practically no luck since then. If you do believe the Knicks’ lucked out and weren’t covertly given Patrick Ewing with the No. 1 pick that year, New York hasn’t moved up once in thirty-plus years.
In 2019, in a consensus two-player draft class led by Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, the Knicks had the worst record in the league and revamped lottery odds didn’t help, that’s for sure. The Knicks fell back two spots and grabbed Williamson’s Duke teammate RJ Barrett.
In 17 instances in the lottery, the Knicks have fallen at least one spot in the draft arrangement on six occasions, moving up once (Ewing), and staying where they were 10 times. When they have possessed their own first-round pick, the lottery has made the Knicks miss out on future stars multiple times.
1. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves have the worst lottery luck despite winning it in 2015 and selecting Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns as the top pick in the not-so-distant past.
Minnesota has never moved up in the lottery. Not once. Zip. The instance they had the opportunity to draft Towns, the Wolves already were positioned as the worst team in the league, owning the best odds. In 2011, for example, the Twin Cities franchise owned the worst record and best odds at No. 1 and fell back one spot, drafting Derrick Williams while the Cleveland Cavaliers earned the right to take Kyrie Irving.
The Wolves have entered the lottery 22 times over the years, moving up never, moving back 12 times, and staying the same. They may have won it all and had the opportunity to pick Towns, but otherwise it’s been a miserable existence in the lottery for them.
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