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NBA Insiders
May 13, 2024, 08:36 PM ET
CHICAGO -- The Dallas Mavericks -- with just a 1.8% chance at the top pick -- won the NBA draft lottery Monday night, earning the chance to select projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg next month.
The San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets will pick second, third and fourth.
With the complete order now known, the 13 lottery teams are shifting gears toward the 2025 NBA draft, to be held June 25 and 26 (8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+) at New York's Barclays Center.
NBA fans want to know the state of these 13 teams entering the draft. Will landing the No. 1 pick push the Mavs to consider roster moves with their current stars?
Our ESPN NBA experts take a comprehensive look at these questions and more for the lottery teams as we await the draft six weeks from now.
Jump to a team:
ATL | CHA | CHI | DAL
HOU | NO | PHI
POR | SAS | TOR | UTAH | WAS
No. 1: Dallas Mavericks
As general manager Nico Harrison's track record has shown, the Mavericks' roster that finished the 2024-25 season could look different from the one in October. How, and in what ways, will the Mavs' first-round pick play into their future?
The Mavericks didn't have to wait long to land another young franchise cornerstone. Months after the shocking decision to trade Luka Doncic, Dallas moved up in the lottery for the first time in franchise history, cashing in on the 1.8% chance to end up with the No. 1 pick.
The widespread assumption is that the Mavs will select Duke's Cooper Flagg, who is considered a generational talent.
Harrison firmly believes that defense wins championship, and the 6-foot-9 Flagg definitely fits that profile. -- Tim MacMahon
2:48
Shams: Spurs' lottery jump could impact Giannis sweepstakes
Shams Charania breaks down the options for the San Antonio Spurs after they move up in the lottery to claim the second pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
No. 2: San Antonio Spurs
With two lottery picks, are the Spurs leaning toward finding a wing at No. 2 to help steady their young roster and space the floor for their stars?
Absolutely. San Antonio's front office has conducted its long rebuild by stocking up on versatile players who eventually find a niche within the system. But the team now has three players to build around in Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, which likely gives San Antonio an inclination to take a more targeted approach than it has in the recent past to acquire players complementary to what's already in place.
The Spurs will enter the draft with three major needs: depth at center, supplemental shooting and a reserve combo guard -- after losing Zach Collins and Tre Jones in February via trade.
With the Spurs owning the second pick, the natural thought would be they could look at moving it in a potential deal to land Giannis Antetokounmpo. But the two-time MVP is 30 years old, which doesn't fit San Antonio's current timeline, and he doesn't provide the supplemental shooting this team sorely needs. -- Michael C. Wright
No. 3: Philadelphia 76ers
With a top-three pick and the player options of Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Eric Gordon playing a role in what flexibility Philadelphia has going forward, how important is it for the Sixers to get this pick right?
We have said all along that the night of the lottery will dictate the 76ers' offseason.
Since the Sixers are top-heavy in salary -- 77% of their salary is tied up in Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid -- their options were limited if they did not retain their first-rounder.
By keeping the pick (it would have gone to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it fell outside of the top six), Philadelphia will now have options to keep and add to a roster that already includes a lot of talent.
One option not to dismiss is 76ers president Daryl Morey exploring a move back in the draft for additional draft assets or taking a swing if the next All-NBA player becomes available in a trade. Philadelphia now has four tradeable firsts, including the third pick in June and an unprotected 2029 first from the LA Clippers.
However, Morey stressed at the season-ending news conference that the goal is to infuse youth to the current roster.
"If everything sets up well, we'll have a younger, more dynamic roster around a healthy Joel, Tyrese and Paul," Morey said. -- Bobby Marks
No. 4: Charlotte Hornets
What type of player would best fit next to the Hornets' core of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Mark Williams?
When you win 19 games and have not reached the postseason since 2016, best fit goes out the window, even with a roster that includes Ball, Miller and last year's lottery pick, Tidjane Salaun.
Also factor in that there is a limited body of work to evaluate with Ball, Miller and Bridges on the court this season. The Hornets ranked second in missed games, using 36 different lineups. Ball, Miller, Bridges and Williams shared the court for only 3% of possessions.
The best available approach likely has Charlotte staring down a group of guards that includes VJ Edgecombe, Jeremiah Fears, Tre Johnson and Ace Bailey.
The Hornets were a poor shooting team from the perimeter last season, ranking last in effective field goal percentage. -- Marks
No. 5: Utah Jazz
Utah could have over $70 million in salary-cap space in 2026, meaning the Jazz can be aggressive. What are the expectations for the Jazz to remake and add to their roster?
The Jazz landed with the fifth overall pick, which was the worst-case but most likely scenario after finishing with the league's worst record. Utah will likely end up with similar odds in next year's lottery.
The Jazz are planning for a patient rebuild. It appears that Utah will have to wait at least one more year to add the kind of franchise-centerpiece talent the Jazz so desperately need. -- MacMahon
No. 6: Washington Wizards
For a second straight year, Washington has a top-six first and a pick in the teens. How high is the ceiling for the Wizards?
The last two months of the season are a good template for Washington's 2025-26. At a time of year in which most lottery teams were sinking in pursuit of better lottery odds, the Wizards actually improved to 9-19 after the All-Star break, matching their pre-break win total in 25 fewer games.
That modest success reflected a combination of Washington's 2024 first-round picks progressing over their rookie campaigns and the additions of veterans Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart in deadline deals that also brought the Wizards future draft picks (including No. 18 overall from the Grizzlies).
Given how young Washington's rotation will be with another pair of first-round rookies added to last year's four -- the three they drafted plus AJ Johnson, acquired from the Bucks with Middleton, all of them teenagers at the start of the season -- competing for the postseason isn't realistic yet. But as long as the Wizards take a step toward competitiveness, their young core will give fans in the DMV area more reason for optimism than at any point since Washington's last above-.500 finish in 2017-18. -- Kevin Pelton
No. 7: New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans are selecting in the top seven of the draft for the first time since Zion Williamson was picked No. 1 in 2019. How much of the Pels' future rests with this pick?
Falling back from No. 4 to No. 7 is a deflating moment in New Orleans, especially after a season that was marred by injuries.
The Pelicans are, however, still in position to add an impact player with the seventh pick to a roster that already includes Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy III and last year's first-round pick, Yves Missi.
The question will continue to hover around the future of Williamson and whether the new front office, led by Joe Dumars, can build the roster around him
Williamson has played in just 46% of regular-season games since coming into the league and has never appeared in the playoffs. -- Marks
No. 8: Brooklyn Nets
The Nets have four first-round picks, the most cap space in the league and a lot of future draft capital. What should their approach be this offseason?
The Nets were unlucky on Monday night, falling to No. 8 as the Spurs and the Mavericks jumped them in the draft order. Brooklyn is still a team to watch carefully over the next few months, with the flexibility to accelerate their timeline and improve the roster but also with real incentive to play the lottery one more year. This year's free agent class isn't loaded, the 2026 draft looks promising at the top and the Nets owe swap rights on their own 2027 first to the Rockets. That creates a logical strategy to stay patient, preserve their cap flexibility, focus on drafting well and developing internally -- then angling to flip the switch toward competing a year from now.
Of course, the availability of a star player on the trade market could always change the calculus and turn the Nets into acquirers. For example, the prospect of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade would surely pique Brooklyn's interest. Still, considering the Nets don't have much proven talent on their roster, the cost and benefit of such a massive move (and whatever subsequent ones to follow) would need to strongly appeal for Brooklyn to make that move now. The simplest path might be to stay the course before shifting gears next summer. -- Jeremy Woo
No. 9: Toronto Raptors
The Raptors will add a lottery pick to join last year's four-man rookie class, and that player also will team up with veteran Brandon Ingram. What will it take for Toronto to get back into the playoff mix?
The Raptors have collected young talent around Scottie Barnes, but there's a question of fit moving forward, with Ingram joining a mix that also includes RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Gradey Dick. Toronto has a lot of players who like to score, but on paper, there's a need for more connected team members to facilitate sharing the ball.
The player Toronto selects at this spot won't solve everything, but finding depth up front, shoring up the defense and figuring out the offensive balance with Ingram are all items the Raptors need to consider. Prospects such as Collin Murray-Boyles and Derik Queen likely will receive long looks here given the lack of a true power forward on the roster. -- Woo
1:32
'NBA Countdown' crew in shock after Mavericks lottery win
Malika Andrews, Brian Windhorst and Chiney Ogwumike react to the Mavericks winning the lottery.
No. 10: Houston Rockets (via Phoenix Suns)
After a first-round loss in the playoffs, what is the Rockets' offseason plan and will one of their priorities be to find a big to complement Alperen Sengun?
The Rockets consider continuity with their young core to be an appealing path, but they will weigh possible pursuits of a proven superstar in the trade market. As general manager Rafael Stone recently told ESPN, there is a "high bar" that must be cleared for the Rockets to make a core-altering deal. Houston's decision-makers would have to be confident that a trade will vault them into the tier of legitimate contenders to give up core players and dip into their deep bag of draft assets.
The Rockets have been firm that rising star Amen Thompson is off-limits in any potential trade discussions.
As far as a big man goes, the Rockets are interested in re-signing Steven Adams after he performed well while his minutes were carefully managed during the regular season and was a major reason Houston extended its first-round series against the Warriors to seven games. -- MacMahon
No. 11: Portland Trail Blazers
Among the big issues over the summer for Portland is the fact it has four veterans -- Anfernee Simons, Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams III and Deandre Ayton -- entering the last year of their contracts. How will this draft pick play into the Blazers' roster construction?
The upside of the Blazers' strong second half of 2024-25 is that they don't have to draft for need at this pick. Portland has a strong forward duo in Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara, its best players last season; two developing guards in Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe; and a center of the future in Donovan Clingan.
That group of young talent, rather than this year's pick, makes the Blazers comfortable trading some or all of their veterans this offseason. I'd actually consider forward Jerami Grant the likeliest trade candidate this summer. Grant played just two games after the end of February, avoiding an awkward decision for Chauncey Billups about whether to start Grant -- who last came off the bench in 2020 -- instead of one of the team's younger players.
Portland might prefer to wait until the deadline to move players on expiring contracts. Given the typical dearth of teams looking to trade away talent at the deadline, Ayton and Thybulle could have more value to established contenders by then, while Williams can prove to teams his ability to stay on the court. And the Blazers will know better whether their young guards can successfully replace Simons. -- Pelton
No. 12: Chicago Bulls
The Bulls ranked 23rd in defensive efficiency and last in points allowed in the paint, but are they thinking draft for need or best fit? The front office prioritized a play-in tournament appearance over increasing its draft lottery odds; will that pay off?
When the Bulls traded Zach LaVine before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, they had a 26% chance at a top-four pick and adding the kind of franchise-changing talent needed to elevate a team that has lost in the play-in tournament in three straight seasons. Instead, management prioritized experience for the young talent already on the roster while teams such as Philadelphia, Toronto and Brooklyn gained better lottery odds.
Chicago finished 15-6 down the stretch but got trounced by Miami in a home play-in game as its odds plummeted to 1.7% for the top pick and to 8% for a top-four selection. As a team that has finished with an identical 39-43 record the past two seasons, the Bulls need to find a way to add superstar talent to elevate themselves from the middle of the pack. -- Jamal Collier
No. 13: Atlanta Hawks (via Sacramento Kings)
The Hawks have repositioned themselves with a young roster and added financial flexibility. How should Trae Young fit into the future of this team?
Atlanta has spent the past seven seasons trying to put the right mix of talent around Young, whose ability as a scorer and playmaker has dictated the team's style of play under several coaches to mixed results. The Hawks are still searching for a top executive to lead basketball operations, and for what to do with Young, who is up for an extension, as is NBA Most Improved Player winner Dyson Daniels.
As Atlanta lays out the vision moving forward, it has to consider how a significant financial commitment to Young impacts its flexibility. If the Hawks decide it's time to go a different direction, this is likely the window to move him, before he gets more expensive and harder to trade. However, the market for Young has not been especially hot over the past couple of seasons, and the Hawks' ability and willingness to move him might also hinge on where they draw the line on his trade value.
The difference now might be that the emergence of Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher and Daniels has given the Hawks much more stability building out the roster should they deal their star guard. -- Woo
No. 14: San Antonio Spurs (via Atlanta Hawks)
Though Victor Wembanyama is one-of-one, the Spurs will need to find someone who can protect the rim when he is on the bench. What are the options?
San Antonio traded backup center Zach Collins in February, and on the same day that move was made official, new primary reserve center Charles Bassey suffered a knee injury that kept him out of 31 of the team's last 35 games. Bassey's previous two seasons ended due to knee injuries, and he hasn't played more than 36 games throughout any of his four years in the NBA. Given Bassey's history, and the fact that he's about to hit free agency, it's time for the Spurs to prioritize depth behind Wembanyama.
But San Antonio won't try to force a fit in the draft where there isn't one. It appears more likely the club will try to add a reserve center in free agency, where the potential proven options are more plentiful and ready to contribute immediately. The Spurs don't have time to wait for a young center to develop. -- Wright
