The 2022 NBA Draft Lottery just concluded with the Orlando Magic winning the top pick. There is just a little over a month remaining before the draft, which is enough time for teams to strategize their selections. In this post we'll discuss 2022 NBA Draft Lottery winners. In fact, we'll also discuss 2022 NBA Draft Lottery losers. More on that in a second, though.

As it stands, there is no clear-cut no. 1 selection in this year's class. Some mock drafts project Auburn's Jabari Smith Jr. to go first. Others believe Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren will be taken as the top pick, while some think Duke's Paolo Banchero is going to hear his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver first on June 23.

Some teams are going home with a lot to smile about, while others will think about what could have been. With that said, here are the biggest winners and losers from 2022 NBA Draft Lottery.

2022 NBA Draft Lottery Winners And Losers

2022 NBA Draft Lottery Winners

1. Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic is the obvious winner of this draft. They finished the 2021-22 season with the second-worst record in the NBA and entered the lottery with a 14.0 percent chance to land the top pick alongside the Rockets and the Pistons.

Though Orlando has a tough choice to make with Smith, Holmgren, or Banchero, it's still a good problem to have. Any of those three should fill a need and could wind up turning this franchise around.

The Magic already took Jalen Suggs with their 5th overall pick last year and got another gem at no. 8 in Franz Wagner, who was named to the 2021-22 All-Rookie First Team. The addition of Smith, Holmgren, or Banchero should give Orlando a solid young core to work with moving forward.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City finished with the 4th worst record in the NBA (24-58) this past season and a 12.5 percent chance of winning the lottery. The Thunder wound up moving two spots to no. 2 overall.

In addition to getting the second pick, they also got the no. 12 pick by way of the the L.A. Clippers. With two lottery selections 10 picks apart, the Thunder could get a potential franchise-altering stud to join Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, as well as a high-quality late lottery prospect.

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3. Sacramento Kings

There wasn't a ton of movement in the lottery, as most teams largely stayed in their spot. But the most notable was the Sacramento Kings' jump to 4th. Sacramento finished with the 7th worst record in the NBA and missed the postseason for the 16th year in a row.

Some of the Kings' draft choices (Marvin Bagley over Luka Doncic?) have been questionable to say the least. And when they did get a promising prospect (Tyrese Haliburton), they traded that guy away in just his second NBA season. While this still isn't a surefire pick for the Kings, at least they moved up a couple of spots to get a better chance to land a franchise-changing player.

2022 NBA Draft Lottery Losers

1. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons finished with the third-worst record in the NBA. They had a 14.0 percent chance of winning the lottery and a 52.1 percent chance to getting at least a top-four pick. But because the Kings moved to 4th, they moved out of top-four and landed at no. 5.

Detroit could have very well added one of Smith, Banchero, or Holmgren to their young core of Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, and Isaiah Stewart. Instead, they'll get a high-lottery prospect who is a tier below the top-three studs.

2. Portland Trail Blazers

After failed postseason runs and a season-long injury to Damian Lillard, the Blazers hit the reset button this season. Portland traded CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington at the February deadline. There's still no knowing what their plan is for Lillard, who remains adamant he wants to remain a Blazer.

The Blazers finished with the sixth-worst record in the league, and as such, had the sixth best odds to win the lottery. But they fell down one spot to pick 7th in the draft next month. It isn't a massive drop. But for a team that could potentially head towards a rebuild, getting a higher pick in the draft is the more ideal way to go.

3. Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers had one of their most disappointing seasons in franchise history as they finished with the eighth worst record in the NBA. But despite that, they will not get the chance to pick in the draft because they traded the rights for that selection to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Anthony Davis deal.

Sure, the Lakers did already get a championship from that trade. But given how disastrous the last couple of seasons have been and considering how they want to return to that level next season, they are going to need all the assets they can get to improve their roster.