WINNERS & LOSERS OF THE NBA DRAFT LOTTERY

A week and a half ago was the most important day involving ping pong balls since the release of Marty Supreme. It was the NBA Draft Lottery. Some familiar faces, teams wondering how they got there, and probable champs (still unbelievable) got together to see what place they will draft in what is projected to be one of the more loaded draft classes in a long time. With the order set, it is time to see who reaped the benefits and who will be back here next year.

WINNER: THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS

As you can see in the picture above, the Wizards won the #1 overall pick this year. The last time they picked at one was in 2010 when they drafted the guy on the left, John Wall. Obviously, getting the top pick is a huge, potentially franchise-changing scenario for any team in any sport. But this year's NBA draft class projects to be one of the best in a while. All signs point to the Wizards drafting AJ Dybansta, a 6'9 forward out of BYU who legit looks like he could be the next Tracy McGrady:

Pairing him with an exciting group of young players like Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, and more gives the Wizards an exponentially brighter future than they already seemed to have. But you also have to factor in that the Wizards made two all-in moves for All-Star/All-NBA level players this past season: Trae Young and Anthony Davis. Now granted, Anthony Davis might never play a single minute for Washington, the mixture of players above and any form of assets from an AD trade is still fun. Oh yeah, did I mention the fact that the Jazz have wanted Dybansta since he was in high school, and they might be willing to trade #2 and other assets for him? Which means the Wizards STILL get an elite guy in Darryn Peterson. The Wizards won the lottery figuratively and literally.

LOSER: THE INDIANA PACERS

You know you were a loser in the lottery when your franchise's GM tweets an apology to the fanbase. To jog your memory in case you forgot, the Pacers pulled off this insanely risky trade at the deadline:

• PACERS GET: Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown

• CLIPPERS GET: Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, 2026 1st round pick (1-4 & 10+ protected), 2029 1st round pick, and 2028 2nd round pick

So essentially, the Pacers traded their draft pick this year (after tanking following Haliburton's injury and Myles Turner's loss in FA). They would keep it if it finished in the top 4 or 10th place or later. Meaning that if their pick became the 5th-9th pick, the Clippers would get it. And that is exactly what happened. Now the Pacers did need a starting center (sorry Jay Huff) and Zubac is an incredible P&R center and rebounder who is going from playing with James Harden to Tyrese Haliburton. But you know what sucks? If they had never pulled off this trade, Aday Mara could've been right there for them to snag. A 7'3 behemoth out of Michigan who is absolutely skyrocketing up NBA draft boards:

So what would you rather have? A 29-year-old center making $18-20M/year or a rookie-contract center and your own future draft pick? By the way, since the Pacers are losers, that obviously means that...

WINNER: THE LA CLIPPERS

The Clippers started the season looking like they could be the reason a true new dynasty would start. They started the season 6-21 and were looking to pick at the top of this loaded draft. The only problem? The reigning champions, the OKC Thunder, held their pick dating back all the way to the Paul George-SGA trade in 2019. They were abysmal record-wise, didn't own their pick, and had the oldest roster in the league (average age of 33.2 y/o) with no bright young players to show for it. But through two trades that happened midseason, the Clippers seem slightly replenished for the future. They turned James Harden (36), Ivica Zubac (29), and Kobe Brown (26) into Darius Garland (26), Bennedict Mathurin (23), Isaiah Jackson (24), the 5th pick (as discussed above), a 2nd round pick, and a 2029 1st-round pick. They got very good and solid youth replacing older veterans. But landing the 5th pick is the sweet spot for them. It was the highest pick the Clippers could get to keep it, and seem poised to pick a great young player. If they draft Mara as their Zubac replacement, all of a sudden, the Clippers have a solid young PG and big man to go with Kawhi. If they draft Keaton Wagler (my mock has them taking him), they have the backcourt of their future. What a turnaround for the Clippers.

LOSER: THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL

Three teams in the draft lottery were the absolute BIGGEST losers if you ask me. The Sacramento Kings, Brooklyn Nets, and New Orleans Pelicans. They had a combined record of

68-178 this year. But why are they the biggest losers? What they have to show for it.

The Kings hold the 7th pick in the draft and are in hell with the players on their roster. Zach LaVine is set to make $49M next year, which makes it harder to trade that salary for its size. Domantas Sabonis is making $45M as a 30-year-old center who can't defend coming off a meniscus surgery. Keegan Murray, their best young player, signed a 5-year/$140M extension last year to just shoot 28% from three. Truly a disaster to only be picking 7th in a 4-man draft.

The Nets had FIVE first-round picks last year. They probably got 1.5 good players. Egor Demin is a good player, and Nolan Traore has high upside and could become a solid player in my mind. But they drafted Demin when CMB and Cedric Coward were still on the board. Traore went over Will Riley and Kasparas Jakucionis. Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were picked back-to-back when Hugo Gonzalez, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, and Rasheer Fleming were 3 of the next 4 picks. Still a ton of youth, and the Nets have an absurd amount of cap space. That's not even considering trade pieces like Nic Claxton or Michael Porter Jr. They have the 6th pick in the draft. A majority of the players mocked from pick 6-12 are guards. Last year, the Nets drafted 4 guards. And none of the superstar upside.

The Pelicans are the BIGGEST F***ING LOSERS of the NBA Draft lottery, and I don't think people realize it. Let's take a look at two trades they did last year:

Those two trades essentially mean this: the Pelicans traded the 5th and 8th pick in this draft for Derik Queen. Yep. They could've paired not one but two top 10 picks in a fucking absurdly talented draft with Jeremiah Fears and truly start their rebuild. But nope. They have Derik Queen. Now I am a stockholder in Dairy Queen but I would trade him for those picks in a heartbeat.

WINNER: THE MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES AND CHICAGO BULLS

The last winner for this draft just has to be the Grizzlies and Bulls, picking 3rd and 4th this year, respectively. The reason they are winners is that this is a 4-person draft. The Grizzlies essentially get whoever they view as the highest left on the board between Dybansta, Peterson, Boozer, and Wilson. And the Bulls get the last one of those 4 guys.

I personally have the Grizzlies taking Boozer, as I think he would make for an incredible frontcourt in Memphis with Cedric Coward and Zach Edey. Pair those 3 with Jaylen Wells, a healthy Ty Jerome, and the 7 (!!!) future firsts they received from trading Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. That's also before even considering if they want to keep Ja or trade him for more future assets. Oh yeah, and they also have the 16th pick! The future is bright in Grind City.

In my mock, I have the Bulls taking Caleb Wilson. I do think he might have the highest ceiling between the top 4 players, and would love to see him be a wing duo of the future with Matas Buzelis. Josh Giddey (speaking about just on the court, by the way) is a solid point guard to have as an incredible passer and still only 23 years old. But I still can't stop thinking about all the posters that will come from Buzelis and Wilson. And just like the Grizzlies, the Bulls have another pick in the first at pick 15, too! Basketball may not be so morbid in Chicago for much longer.