With the NBA Draft lottery scheduled for Monday, May 12th, it is time to take a look at teams that beat the odds. The league flattened the odds starting from 2019, giving each of the top three teams a 14% chance to get the No.1 pick. With that in mind, the teams on this list have jumped three or more positions to get the first pick in the draft. Let’s take a look.
7 Teams that Beat the NBA Draft Lottery Odds
2011 Cleveland Cavaliers
Pre-Lottery Position: No.8
This might be one of the most interesting drafts in history. Here is the interesting part. The Los Angeles Clippers gave away this pick to Cleveland in a trade for Mo Williams. The Cavs had a 2.8% chance to get the first pick, and they beat the NBA draft lottery odds to land Kyrie Irving.
He won Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-Star when LeBron James joined, and they brought the first and only championship to Cleveland together. Kyrie and LeBron made the Finals together three times.
At the time, the Minnesota Timberwolves had the worst record and a 25% chance of getting to first overall. Instead, they got the second overall pick and drafted Derrick Williams. He lasted seven years in the league before continuing his career in other leagues.
2014 Cleveland Cavaliers
Pre-Lottery Position: No.9
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the luckiest teams in terms of the NBA draft. They have won the draft lottery five times. They had the No.1 pick in 2013 as well. Getting the No.1 pick in the 2014 draft helped Cleveland trade Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love and create a championship roster around LeBron and Irving.
The Milwaukee Bucks had the worst record the previous season, but they picked second. They took Jabari Parker, while the Philadelphia 76ers took Joel Embiid. Here is a fun exercise. If the Cavs picked Embiid and were patient with his injuries, they could have had a trio of Irving, Embiid, and James.
2008 Chicago Bulls
Pre-Lottery Position: No.9
The 2007-08 Chicago Bulls were a mediocre team with Luol Deng and Ben Gordon as their top two players. They had a decent young core, but nothing special. They beat the NBA draft lottery odds in 2008 with just a 1.7% chance to get the No.1 pick. Chicago drafted Derrick Rose, who wound up becoming the youngest MVP winner in league history.
Sadly, injuries derailed his career. But before injuries caught up with Rose, the Bulls looked like a championship contender. Their peak was making the Eastern Conference Finals and losing to the Miami Heat.
2019 New Orleans Pelicans
Pre-Lottery Position: No.7
The 2018-19 New Orleans Pelicans were a mess. Superstar Anthony Davis asked out of town, but the team didn’t trade him at the deadline. After a horrific season, the Pelicans got lucky in the draft. They jumped from No.7 to No.1 and grabbed Zion Williamson.
He stepped right in as the franchise’s next big man. Sadly for the Pelicans, he suffered multiple injuries. Even though he is only 24 years old, he is already on the trade block, with the Pelicans seemingly ready to move away from him.
2012 New Orleans Hornets
Pre-Lottery Position: No.4
Known as the Hornets at the time, New Orleans was coming off an awful season. The league office controlled the franchise. Following the Chris Paul fiasco in which the team traded him to the Lakers, but then the league vetoed the trade, only to trade him to the Clippers, the Pelicans were in dire need of positive news.
Once they landed the No.1 pick, they selected Anthony Davis, and he turned them into a playoff contender. They lost in the first round once and made it to the conference semifinals. Eventually, they traded him to the Lakers. But often, when the Pelicans trade their franchise player, they get lucky in the draft and select another. Will that happen again this year?
2002 Houston Rockets
Pre-Lottery Position: No.5
The 2002 NBA draft completely changed the appeal of the Houston Rockets. They might not have jumped a lot, but in terms of what they got and what it meant for the franchise, this might be the biggest win. The Rockets selected Yao Ming as the No.1 pick, giving them instant access to the largest fan base in the world, China.
Since 2002, the Rockets have been the most popular team in China. There was a brief moment that changed that due to Daryl Morey’s comments about Taiwan. But years after Ming retired, the Rockets remained the most popular franchise in China. Injuries prevented Yao from dominating the league. When healthy, he was one of the best centers in the game.
1993 Orlando Magic
Pre-Lottery Position: No.11
The 1993 Orlando Magic made the biggest jump in the lottery, going from #11 to one to land the first overall pick. They ended up trading the selection. On draft night, they sent Chris Webber for No.3 pick Penny Hardaway and three future first-rounders.
Both Hardaway and Webber had good NBA careers. In Orlando, Hardaway formed one of the most exciting young duos alongside Shaquille O’Neal. He spent six years playing for the Magic, before Hardaway was traded to the Suns.
Photo credit: © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
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