After defying the odds to land the No. 2 overall pick, Houston general manager Rafael Stone certainly didn’t dismiss the possibility. “It’s not necessarily that you’re looking to do that, but you shouldn’t foreclose any option,” Stone told reporters following the lottery. “You have to do the work. You have to use the allotted time. You have to have the discussions. You have to go through the process.”
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It's the first top pick for the franchise since center Bob Lanier out of St. Bonaventure University in 1970 "Obviously we get to add another wing player to the restoration process," Pistons general manager Troy Weaver told reporters. "We're excited to be in this position. But it means that we've got a lot of work to do and we're going to be diligent about it. But it always helps to be able to add the number one pick." Rockets general manager Rafael Stone told reporters after the lottery that he was open to trading the No. 2 pick. "We don't want to foreclose anything," he said. "We're open to a trade."
The NBA hasn't seen very many high lottery picks traded in the recent future, but this lottery could be different with several teams interested in trading for a more established player. "There are multiple teams, I'm told: Cleveland, Minnesota, Houston, who are going to be very aggressive if they're in the top of this lottery with perhaps putting those picks in trades to bring back young veteran players or All-Star caliber players to accelerate their rebuilds," said Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN shortly before the draft.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, who have 19 first-round picks through 2027, have three first-round draft selections in 2021. They landed the No. 6 pick in the lottery. Complete lottery results: 1. Detroit Pistons 2. Houston Rockets 3. Cleveland Cavaliers 4. Toronto Raptors 5. Orlando Magic 6. Oklahoma City Thunder 7. Golden State Warriors 8. Orlando Magic 9. Sacramento Kings 10. New Orleans Pelicans 11. Charlotte Hornets 12. San Antonio Spurs 13. Indiana Pacers 14. Golden State Warriors
James Edwards III: The Pistons get the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The first time since 1970. Also the first time the team has ever moved up in the lottery.
Ben Golliver: 2021 NBA Draft Lottery order 1. Pistons 2. Rockets 3. Cavaliers 4. Raptors 5. Magic 6. Thunder 7. Warriors (from Timberwolves) 8. Magic (from Bulls) 9. Kings 10. Pelicans 11. Hornets 12. Spurs 13. Pacers 14. Warriors
Brandon Rahbar: Sam Presti: "Unless we want to change our goals and aspirations, we have a clear plan we want to follow. We know we can be successful. We've done it before. It's something that's going to take some time. It's something that's going to take some good fortune at some point."
Joe Mussatto: Former Thunder center Nazr Mohammed will represent the team at the NBA Draft Lottery. Mohammed was promoted to GM of the OKC Blue last offseason.
Paul Garcia: Team representatives for the draft lottery tomorrow
Chris Fedor: #Cavs GM Koby Altman will be the team’s virtual representative at tomorrow’s draft lottery, sources tell @clevelanddotcom
For the 2021 lottery broadcast, each team will have a representative (usually an executive, coach, player, or someone with historical ties to the franchise) watching remotely. The Pacers will be represented by the great Nancy Leonard, the wife of the late Hall of Famer Slick Leonard who also worked in team's front office and played a vital role in keeping the Pacers in Indianapolis with a 1977 telethon.
RJ Marquez: Told Peter J. Holt will represent Spurs at Tuesday's virtual NBA Draft Lottery. Holt was officially elevated to managing partner of the franchise on Friday. San Antonio has the 12th-best lottery odds. #GoSpursGo #NBA #KSATsports
Doug Smith: Am told the one and only Fred VanVleet will bet not only on himself but on his team as the Raptors representative at the virtual NBA draft lottery tomorrow night
Zach Lowe: Anthony Edwards will be the Minnesota Timberwolves (virtual) representative at the draft lottery tomorrow, sources tell ESPN.
James Ham: Monte McNair will represent Kings at NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday as @Jason Anderson noted. McNair and his staff are in Chicago for the NBA Draft Combine.
Jason Anderson: I'm told general manager Monte McNair will represent the Sacramento Kings in Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery. Check @sacbee_news in the morning to see how the Kings fared in our simulated lottery and mock draft.
The Cavs have had talks over the last few days about who will represent the organization at the virtual lottery. Sources say that’s still to be determined. Last year, it was franchise legend Brad Daugherty.
James Edwards III: Per sources, the Detroit Pistons will be represented at Tuesday's lottery by...
Can Marc Eversley produce lottery luck for the Chicago Bulls again? The general manager will represent the franchise virtually for Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery after executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas handled the duties last year.
Anthony Slater: Rick Welts will be the Warriors lottery rep next week in what most likely will be his final front-facing appearance for the organization before retirement.
Shams Charania: Sources: 2021 NBA Draft Tiebreakers: 4: Oklahoma City over Cleveland 8: Chicago, then Sacramento, then New Orleans 11. Charlotte over San Antonio 19. New York over Atlanta 21. Dallas 22. Lakers 25. Clippers 26. Denver
Ian Begley: The Knicks won their NBA Draft tiebreaker with the Hawks, the league says. Also, Dallas won its draft tiebreaker with the Lakers and Portland. Knicks own Dallas’ 2021 first-round pick.
Salman Ali: The Rockets haven't decided upon who's lucky enough to represent them at the lottery this year. Rafael Stone: "I hope it's not me." Stephen Silas: "It's definitely not me. You see our injuries this year?"
Bobby Marks: Draft Lottery ties that will need to get broken 4. Cleveland/Oklahoma City 8. Orlando (via Chicago)/New Orleans/Sacramento 11. Charlotte/San Antonio (if both lose in play-in) 19. New York/Atlanta 21. Houston (via Portland)/Los Angeles Lakers/Knicks (via Dallas) 25. Los Angeles Clippers/Denver
Bobby Marks: Ties that will need to get broken 4. CLE/OKC 8. ORL (via CHI)/NOP/SAC 11. CHA/SAS (if both lose in play-in) 19. NYK/ATL 21. HOU (via POR)/LAL/NYK (via DAL) 25. LAC/DEN
NBA Draft Lottery 2021 presented by State Farm® will take place on Tuesday, June 22, airing on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Shams Charania: The 2021 NBA Draft will be on July 29, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. NBA Draft Lottery will be on June 22. Draft Combine scheduled for June 21-27.
Regardless, there’s no doubt the Timberwolves will take the major victory anyway, as landing the No. 1 pick gives the franchise a ton of flexibility, be it to acquire their next franchise cornerstone to fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell or to trade down for multiple assets. What’s interesting is that even with the huge win in this year’s draft lottery, the Wolves still hold the honor of statistically being the unluckiest team in lottery history. That’s how bad their luck had been before this year.
With Minnesota moving up for the first time, that leaves just the Dallas Mavericks, the Detroit Pistons, the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat as the only teams who have never moved up from their pre-lottery position. On the other side of the spectrum, the three luckiest teams in lottery history are the Philadelphia 76ers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Charlotte Hornets, who have moved up eight times and three times apiece respectively.
They consider Lacob unusually lucky, for various reasons. He told them, semi-facetiously, something to the effect of: "I don't do lotteries. I do championships." When ESPN's Ramona Shelburne asked Lacob about that cheeky line, he chuckled. "This is gonna be like the 'light years' thing," Lacob said. "I did say that. But when you're in last place, you shouldn't really have much to say." Stephen Curry was the next and obvious choice. He had one request, Golden State higher-ups said: Ask Klay first. Thompson apparently passed.
Rod Beard: #Pistons GM Troy Weaver on trading first-round picks this year: "Teams will definitely look to explore those options. Just the climate of the NBA and what's ahead of us, there could be teams looking to get off those picks because of the financial constraints."
Wes Goldberg: Speaking on a Zoom call, Warriors GM Bob Myers said "Steph Curry delivered as usual... it was going to be 1 through 5 but 2 is about as good as it gets."
Anthony Slater: Bob Myers on Warriors getting #2 pick: "Do we like somebody there? We don't entirely control the draft, but all we have to like is two guys to be happy. So that makes it simpler."
Christopher Hine: Rosas: "They talk about this as being similar to past drafts, the Anthony Bennett draft for example, but to be fair the reigning MVP was a part of the draft. We have to do our job."
KC Johnson: Speaking on a Zoom call, Bulls EVP Arturas Karnisovas said "how happy we are to move up, to break recent tradition. We know that moving up from 7 to 4 is a huge deal for our organization and city of Chicago. We're going to select a player who's going to help us next year."
Sarah K. Spencer: Travis Schlenk on the Hawks falling to sixth: "We ended up right where we were supposed to... losing would have been seventh or eighth." Mentions that was percentage-wise the most likely scenario
Rod Beard: #Pistons Troy Weaver: "We'll continue to do our work for the draft, combing over every prospect and every scenario...I always felt like this draft was 14 or 15 deep. You could get the same-quality player between 3 and 13."
“We couldn’t be more pleased to land the first overall pick in this year’s draft, marking only the second time in franchise history,” said Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas. “We are excited for the possibilities ahead of us to bring in a high caliber player now that we secured the first overall selection. As a front office, we are proud of what we’ve built here in Minnesota so far and we are looking forward to continuing to build upon that foundation in this year’s draft.”
Gersson Rosas: “We know with the number one pick we have the opportunity to draft an impact player who could immediately complement our young, strong core in All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns and All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell. The front office and I are prepared to get right to work with this new component for the draft and we’re confident we will be able to bring energy and excitement to our fanbase with our next moves.”
“I’m glad I could represent for the state of Minnesota at the draft lottery the same way we plan to show out for our fans when we get back on the court,” said Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell. “The number one pick is exciting to have, it makes me think back to when Karl and I got drafted 1,2 in the 2015 draft. There’s so much buzz and energy during the draft as a player and I really look forward to seeing what Gersson and the front office will do to build upon our 2020-21 roster with this pick. I know we’re ready to compete and I can’t wait to see who joins us next.”
Jon Krawczynski: For the first time ever, the Wolves move up in the lottery. Amazing
Jeff Goodman: 2020 NBA Draft Order: 1. Minnesota 2. Golden State 3. Charlotte 4. Chicago 5. Cleveland 6. Atlanta 7. Detroit 8. New York 9. Washington 10. Phoenix 11. San Antonio 12. Sacramento 13. New Orleans 14. Boston
KC Johnson: This is the first time the Bulls have jumped up from their pre-draft lottery position since . . . 2008. That's when they moved from No. 9 to No. 1 for Derrick Rose.
RJ Marquez: The #Spurs will have the No. 11 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. San Antonio did not move up or down based on pre-lottery predictions. It's still the highest they have selected, assuming they keep the pick, since Tim Duncan was drafted in 1997.
Brian Robb: The Celtics will have the No. 14 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. That gives them three first-round picks in 2020 (No. 14, No. 26, No. 30), the most of any team.
For Thursday’s NBA Draft lottery, “Lucky Leon” Rose will wear a replica of a special bracelet that a young Knicks fan/high school player gave to RJ Barrett before Rose’s first game as Knicks president on March 2. Barrett went on to score his career high 27 points and the Knicks beat the Rockets in Rose’s presidential debut.
Eric Woodyard: Cavaliers Legend Brad Daugherty will represent the Cleveland Cavaliers in Thursday’s 2020 NBA Draft Lottery.
Rod Beard: #Pistons new general manager Troy Weaver will represent the team in the virtual NBA Draft Lottery on Thursday.
The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced that All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell will represent the team at the virtual 2020 NBA Draft Lottery presented by State Farm, to be held on Thursday, August 20. The event will be televised on ESPN beginning at 7:30 p.m. CT.
"I’m honored to represent the Timberwolves at this year’s draft lottery," said Russell. "We are excited about what we are building in Minnesota and look forward to continuing the progress with the lottery and in the draft.”
Zach Lowe: Teams are making final calls on who will represent them on the "virtual dais" for this Thursday's lottery. For Minnesota, sources tell ESPN: D'Angelo Russell. The Warriors have already revealed Stephen Curry will be their virtual rep.
Ben Rohrbach: The NBA announced the lottery and draft order after today’s tiebreaking coin flips. Lottery is on Thursday. Draft is on Oct. 16.
Chicago Bulls: Arturas Karnisovas will represent us at the virtual NBA Draft Lottery on Aug. 20.
The draft lottery, which was recently moved up from Aug. 25 to Aug. 20, will feature representatives from all 14 lottery teams who will appear on virtual displays.
According to a league source, the Warriors have yet to decide on a representative, but they’ve been encouraged by the NBA to send a well-known player.
Shams Charania: The NBA plans to hold the Aug. 20 Draft Lottery virtually, with 14 team representatives appearing via virtual display, sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium.
Now that the Wizards have lost their first two games at Disney World, that rule is coming back into the forefront. The Wizards are currently tied in the loss column with the Hornets, who aren't in Orlando but are locked in with the eighth-best lottery odds. What that means is if the Wizards continue to lose, they can't gain more ping-pong balls for lottery night, which is set for Aug. 25. And now there is a distinct possibility they could have worse odds than a team with a better win percentage than them.
It would be a cruel twist for the Wizards, who need as much help as they can get in this year's draft as they hope to find another blue chip prospect to add to their burgeoning young core. Making that pick count is especially important given their salary cap situation with John Wall and Bradley Beal on the books, which has left them with fewer resources to work with. They could get another key rotation player on a rookie contract. The good news is that the lottery rules were changed more permanently before last year's drawing in order to create more parity in the annual event. It smoothed out the odds to discourage tanking and the results in its first year were as-intended.
Jeremy Woo: As I understand it, there’s a level of hope that the NBA will still be able to hold the draft combine. Would take place at some point after the Aug. 25 lottery, may not happen until September. Conducting player medicals and measurements would (predictably) be the key components.
Kellan Olson: The NBA's official release on the 22-team format notes that the NBA Draft Lottery standings will be based off the standings prior to play in Orlando. The 14 teams will be those who do not make the playoffs. So, the Suns will be in the 10th spot unless they make the playoffs.
Adrian Wojnarowski: NBA has set an August 25 Draft Lottery and October 15 Draft, sources say.
Marc J. Spears: Via new rules, the NBA teams with the three worst 2019-2020 regular-season records will each have a 14 percent chance of winning the lottery. Golden State, Cleveland and Minnesota have the three worst records with Atlanta, Detroit and New York behind by a hair in the standings.
Brad Turner: NBA just announced it has postponed 2020 NBA draft lottery and NBA combined due to coronavirus. Both were scheduled to be held in Chicago later this month.
Marc Berman: The NBA announces no combine, which we knew, and postponement of Draft Lottery. Both in Chicago. Draft still on June 25th for now. NBA "continues to closely monitor the coronavirus pandemic and consult with infectious disease specialists, public health experts and government"
Shams Charania: The NBA has indefinitely postponed its NBA Draft Lottery and Draft Combine in May in Chicago due to coronavirus pandemic, sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium.
I’ve asked a handful of sources about this. They continue to provide the same answer: The league has plenty to figure out and the answers aren’t easy. Each time there seems to be a workable solution, another problem emerges. But it seems like the usual off-season events -- draft, free agency, summer league -- have been pushed down the priority list. The primary focus centers on a return-to-play strategy -- if possible. Once that decision is made, there should be more clarity on other issues.
An NBA official said no final decisions have been made on the lottery or combine. If the regular season is canceled, the Knicks would hold the sixth-best odds in the lottery at 21-45. That gives them a nine percent chance of winning the No. 1 pick and a 27.5 percent chance of a top-three pick. There’s also a scenario of falling to No. 10.
Connor Letourneau: Steve Kerr on the Pelicans getting the No. 1 pick: “It should make for an interesting summer.”
Ben Golliver: Pelicans' Alvin Gentry on their thought process with the number one pick: "Well, we're going to see.... Yeah, right." Said of New Orleans delegation's Tuesday night celebration plans: "They're going to get a big receipt."
Steve Popper: This is the entirety of the Knicks comments on the lottery: Statement from Steve Mills and Scott Perry: “We are excited to have the third pick and are confident we will be able to add a great player to our talented young core and the team that we are building.”
Patrick Ewing, who represented the Knicks on the dais in Chicago, thinks the fans should be happy with who team president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry decide to choose come June 20. "Be happy with what we have," he said after the Lottery. "Cherish him, help him, support him, support the team and hopefully good things will come."
Ben Golliver: Grizzlies' Zachary Kleiman, wearing an engraved Cartier watch given to him by his mother for luck, said he was "thrilled" to land second pick to add another core piece next to Jaren Jackson Jr. "We've got a lot of work to do," citing his new regime & coaching search.
Tania Ganguli: When he was standing there with representatives from the Grizzlies, Pelicans and Knicks, did Kyle Kuzma think the Lakers would get the No. 1 pick? "Nah. The league don’t like the Lakers. They weren’t gonna give us that."
KC Johnson: John Paxson: "“I stay committed, along with my staff, to get this right. We’re going to add another good player in this draft. We’re going to spend money in free agency where we add some vets who help. Get over the disappointment quickly because you have a lot of work to do.”
Marc J. Spears: Zion Williamson was QUICKLY whisked out of the room after Pelicans were announced the winner of the draft lottery. Source said the former Duke star was rooting to go to New York, but now is going to New Orleans.
Ben Golliver: Before drawing, Alvin Gentry wrote on a sheet of paper, "This is our moment." David Griffin had predicted victory & gave him lucky Zegna tie from Cleveland. Gentry's reaction to win: "F--- yeah!" Later said of Griffin's luck: "That's worth the hire. Ms. B knows what she's doing."
Mike McGraw: Paxson, while laughing: "My mind immediately went to the fact that 3 of the top 4 (picks) are going out West, and New York didn't get No. 1, so that's something in our favor."
Will Guillory: Griffin won't talk about who he will select with the No. 1 pick, but he did say it should help with potentially recutting Anthony Davis: "Elite talent likes to play with elite talent"
Candace Buckner: New Orleans GM David Griffin: “The universe never makes mistakes.”
Andrew Greif: Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry is absolutely gliding around the draft lottery ballroom, slapping hands and smiling ear to ear.
KC Johnson: John Paxson: “I’m always confident we’ll find talent in any draft.”
