PORTLAND, Ore. — Luck did not favor Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers at the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday night as the team dropped to the seventh overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Lillard was in Chicago, representing Portland at the lottery drawing. Because the Blazers finished with the sixth worst record last season, they entered the lottery with a 37.2% chance of landing a Top 4 pick and a 9% chance of getting the No. 1 overall selection. When the results of the lottery were revealed, Portland moved down from their projected sixth position in the upcoming NBA draft, ending up with the seventh pick.
This year's draft is considered by most pundits to be strong at the top with three potential franchise-level players in Auburn forward Jabari Smith, Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren and Duke forward Paolo Banchero.
Players projected to be drafted around where the Blazers will pick include Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe, Duke forward AJ Griffin, G League Ignite guard Dyson Daniels, Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin, Baylor forward Jeremy Sochan and Memphis center Jalen Duren, among others.
The Orlando Magic were awarded the first overall pick in the upcoming draft, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings with the next three picks. The Kings, who had the seventh-worst record in the NBA, had a 32% chance of landing a Top 4 selection and moved up, knocking the Blazers down one spot.
Tuesday’s lottery set the top four picks. The remainder of the non-playoff teams will pick in reverse order of their finish. The lottery order is as follows:
- Orlando Magic
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Houston Rockets
- Sacramento Kings
- Detroit Pistons
- Indiana Pacers
- Portland Trail Blazers
- New Orleans Pelicans (from L.A. Lakers)
- San Antonio Spurs
- Washington Wizards
- New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder (via L.A. Clippers)
- Charlotte Hornets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
The NBA draft combine started Monday (workouts begin Wednesday) and runs through Sunday. The NBA draft will be held June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.