Celtics win draft lottery; Lakers, Sixers round out top 3
The Boston Celtics have become the first conference finalist in the 33-year history of the NBA draft lottery to win the annual sweepstakes, securing the No. 1 overall selection for the June 22 draft.
The Celtics, who advanced to the Eastern Conference finals by beating the Washington Wizards in a Game 7 on Monday, entered Tuesday's lottery with the best odds (25 percent) at the No. 1 pick, thanks to the 2013 trade that sent Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry to Brooklyn in exchange for the Nets' 2014, 2016, and 2018 first-round picks, in addition to swap rights in 2017.
Those swap rights mean the Nets, who finished with the worst record in the league, will select 27th while watching the 51-win Celtics pick first.
| Pick | Team | Original odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtics (via Nets) | 1 |
| 2 | Lakers | 3 |
| 3 | 76ers (via Kings) | 8 |
| 4 | Suns | 2 |
| 5 | Kings (via 76ers) | 4 |
| 6 | Magic | 5 |
| 7 | Timberwolves | 6 |
| 8 | Knicks | 7 |
| 9 | Mavericks | 9 |
| 10 | Kings (via Pelicans) | 10 |
| 11 | Hornets | 11 |
| 12 | Pistons | 12 |
| 13 | Nuggets | 13 |
| 14 | Heat | 14 |
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Lakers were big winners, moving up from the No. 3 slot to secure the No. 2 overall selection. Had Los Angeles fallen out of the top three - a 53.1 percent probability - they would have forfeited their pick to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers did still land a top-three pick, however, as they entered the night owning swap rights with Sacramento, whose pick moved up to No. 3 while Philadelphia's original pick fell to No. 5.
While the Kings have to settle for the No. 5 pick as opposed to a top-three selection, Sacramento did score a victory on the night, as it also secured the No. 10 selection via the Pelicans, whose only chance to keep their pick was contingent upon moving into the top three.
New Orleans is subsequently the only non-playoff team without a first-round pick.