Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery will take place Sunday, May 10 at 3 p.m. ET in Chicago with high stakes for several teams.
- The NBA's worst teams have their best chance to secure a franchise-changing talent before odds are flattened next season.
- A loaded draft class means multiple potential All-Stars could be available, but the top pick order remains uncertain until the ping-pong balls are drawn.
The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery has uncommonly high stakes. Not only in this a loaded class, featuring several future All-Stars and a variety of potential high-end starters. But it's also the year before the NBA flattens the odds even more as Adam Silver desperately attempts to combat tanking. For the NBA's worst teams, this could be their last, best chance at a franchise-altering talent for a while.
With those fateful ping-pong balls about to roll, here's everything you need to know:
When is the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery?
The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery will commence Sunday, May 10 at 3 PM E.T. on ABC. The event takes place in Chicago.
Before the broadcast, behind closed doors and with NBA personnel in attendance, a machine will spit out four ping-pong balls to determine the first four picks in the draft. From there, the next 10 lottery teams (and the remainder of the first round) is ordered from worst record to best record.
The NBA's current lottery odds favor the worst records, but all 14 non-playoff teams will have a statistical chance to land somewhere in the top four — or even to grab the No. 1 overall pick.
2026 NBA Draft Lottery odds
Standings | No. 1 pick odds | Top 4 odds |
|---|---|---|
1. Washington Wizards (17-65) | 14% | 52.1% |
2. Indiana Pacers (19-63) | 14% | 52.1% |
3. Brooklyn Nets (20-62) | 14% | 52.1% |
4. Utah Jazz (22-60) | 11.5% | 45.2% |
5. Sacramento Kings (22-60) | 11.5% | 45.2% |
6. Memphis Grizzlies (25-57) | 9.0% | 37.2% |
7. New Orleans Pelicans (26-56) | 6.8% | 29.3% |
8. Dallas Mavericks (26-56) | 6.7% | 29.0% |
9. Chicago Bulls (31-51) | 4.5% | 20.3% |
10. Milwaukee Bucks (32-50) | 3.0% | 13.9% |
11. Golden State Warriors (37-45) | 2.0% | 9.4% |
12. Los Angeles Clippers (42-40) | 1.5% | 7.1% |
13. Miami Heat (43-39) | 1.0% | 4.8% |
14. Charlotte Hornets (44-38) | 0.5% | 2.4% |
The three worst teams in the NBA — Washington, Indiana and Brooklyn — all receive equal, highest odds to land No. 1, with an over 50 percent chance of landing somewhere in the top four. The next-worst, Utah and Sacramento, are also equal in both categories at slightly lower odds.
From there, each team has gradually descending odds of climbing up the board on Sunday afternoon. Tiebreakers, such as New Orleans and Dallas at Nos. 7 and 8, were already determined via a separate, randomized closed-door selection process last month.
Which NBA Draft Lottery picks belong to other teams?
Los Angeles Clippers → Oklahoma City Thunder
The Clippers' first-round selection belongs to Oklahoma City, unprotected, as a result of the Paul George trade. That means OKC has a 1.5 percent chance at the No. 1 pick and a 7.1 percent chance of landing in the top four despite their league-best record and their status as the reigning NBA champions.
New Orleans Pelicans (or Milwaukee Bucks) → Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are set to receive the highest of New Orleans' and Milwaukee's first-round selections. The Bucks will receive the lowest.
Atlanta acquired these rights last summer with their draft-night move from No. 13 to No. 23, which allowed the Pelicans to move up and select Derik Queen.
Milwaukee traded its swap rights to New Orleans as part of the Jrue Holiday trade, which now are under Atlanta's control. So the Hawks actually have a 9.8 percent chance of landing No. 1 and a 43.2 percent chance at landing in the top four — the sixth-best odds behind Washington, Indiana, Brooklyn, Utah and Sacramento.
Indiana Pacers → Los Angeles Clippers
While the Clippers don't own their first-round pick, L.A. does have a chance to claim the Pacers' first-round pick, which is top-four protected as part of February's Ivica Zubac trade. So if Indiana is dealt an unlucky hand and falls out of the top four on lottery night — a 47.9 percent chance — their selection belongs to the Clippers, who desperately need an influx of youth.
Best prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft
Here are the top 20 ranked prospects who are at least testing the NBA Draft waters, based on FanSided's most recent big board:
Name | Position | School |
|---|---|---|
1. Cameron Boozer | Forward | Duke |
2. Darryn Peterson | Guard | Kansas |
3. AJ Dybantsa | Wing | Brigham Young |
4. Caleb Wilson | Forward | North Carolina |
5. Kingston Flemings | Guard | Houston |
6. Aday Mara | Center | Michigan |
7. Dailyn Swain | Wing | Texas |
8. Mikel Brown Jr. | Guard | Louisville |
9. Darius Acuff Jr. | Guard | Arkansas |
10. Keaton Wagler | Guard | Illinois |
11. Tyler Tanner | Guard | Vanderbilt |
12. Bennett Stirtz | Guard | Iowa |
13. Yaxel Lendeborg | Forward | Michigan |
14. Labaron Philon Jr. | Guard | Alabama |
15. Brayden Burries | Guard | Arizona |
16. Hannes Steinbach | Forward | Washington |
17. Joshua Jefferson | Forward | Iowa State |
18. Allen Graves | Forward | Santa Clara |
19. Amari Allen | Wing | Alabama |
20. Cameron Carr | Wing | Baylor |
It seems like a foregone conclusion that Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa, in some order, will make up the top-3 picks. Dybantsa is the current favorite to land No. 1, but we won't get a clear picture of that race until the order is actually determined on Sunday.
There is an outside chance for UNC's Caleb Wilson to leapfrog Boozer, in particular. While Boozer has stood firm at No. 1 on FanSided's board all season, the consensus is a bit lower on him due to perceived athletic limitations. Wilson, a high-flying forward with monster defensive potential, could appeal to a team betting on pure upside.
The run of guards in the mid-to-late lottery range will force teams with established backcourts to really weigh fit against best available talent. We could see a guard or two fall further than expected — or we could see teams willing to trade back, as there's real depth to the first round.
Dailyn Swain, Aday Mara and Tyler Tanner are a few prospects FanSided has ranked well above consensus. In the case of Tanner — as well as Allen Graves, Amari Allen and other underclassmen who maintained their college eligibility — a return to school is always possible based on feedback in the coming weeks. Multiple potential lottery picks, such as Florida's Thomas Haugh and UConn's Braylon Mullins, already withdrew their names in favor of a weaker 2027 draft class.
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