Trail Blazers lottery odds: What are the chances of landing the No. 1 pick?
By Ian Levy
Portland wanted to compete for a title but ended up in the NBA Draft lottery. What are the Trail Blazers lottery odds for landing the No. 1 pick?
The Portland Trail Blazers reworked their roster last offseason, hoping to make a big playoff push with a now-healthy Damian Lillard. Despite one of the best seasons of his career, Lillard and the Blazers landed in the NBA Draft lottery with the fifth-worst record in the league.
As the NBA Playoffs roll on, the Blazers and their fans are focused, again, on the NBA Draft and the coming free-agent market. The next big deadline is Tuesday, May 16, 2023, when the lottery will be held to determine the actual draft order.
What are the Trail Blazers lottery odds for landing the No. 1 pick?
- Detroit Pistons — 14.0 percent
- Houston Rockets — 14.0 percent
- San Antonio Spurs — 14.0 percent
- Charlotte Hornets — 12.5 percent
- Portland Trail Blazers — 10.5 percent
- Orlando Magic — 9.0 percent
- Indian Pacers — 6.8 percent
- Washington Wizards — 6.7 percent
- Utah Jazz — 4.5 percent
- Dallas Mavericks — 3.0 percent
- Orlando Magic — 1.8 percent
- Oklahoma City Thunder — 1.7 percent
- Toronto Raptors — 1.0 percent
- New Orleans Pelicans — 0.5 percent
The Trail Blazers have a decent chance at landing the No. 1 pick and a 42.1 percent chance of moving up at least one slot and landing in the top four. In addition, they hold the rights to the New York Knicks pick, No. 23 in the first round, from the Josh Hart trade.
That puts the Trail Blazers in a pretty advantageous position except Lillard has already made clear he would like the team to trade one or both of their first-round picks in pursuit of a win-now veteran who can help chase a championship. It’s not clear if that calculus would change at all if the Blazers win the No. 1 pick and a chance at transformational prospect Victor Wembanyama. However, even if the Blazers make a trade with their own pick there are several prospects who could help them that would be available at No. 23.
Who could the Trail Blazers target in the NBA Draft?
This is an extremely deep draft class with multiple intriguing prospects at the top and plenty of depth later in the first round.
Kris Murray could be available for the Trail Blazers late in the first round and offers a useful blend of size, shooting and offensive versatility. He might not have the upside of his twin brother Keegan Murray, who set a rookie record for 3-pointers made with the Kings this season, but he could contribute right away in the right situation.
The other big need for the Blazers is a defensive center who could help take the load off Jusuf Nurkic or eventually replace him. Strong shot-blockers like Dereck Lively II, James Nnaji and Daron Holmes could all be available in that range.
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