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Winners and losers of the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery

By Gerald Bourguet

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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2017 NBA Draft Lottery
Apr 7, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers president for basketball operations acknowledges the fans as he attends the game against the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center. Lakers won 98-94. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Winner: Los Angeles Lakers

We’re not going to say the NBA Draft Lottery is rigged, but conspiracy theorists were provided with a Magic Johnson-sized mound of evidence in 2017.

There was the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers kept their top-three protected first round pick in this year’s draft, also allowing them to keep their 2019 first-rounder. There was the fact that the Celtics, Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers — three of the NBA’s most prestigious, major market franchises — went one, two and three.

And then there was the fact that Magic, after a brief moment of looking nervous, couldn’t help but contain his excitement about the prospect of denying Joel Embiid and the Sixers that protected pick.

LOOK AT HIM, FAM. IT’S LIKE HE ALREADY KNOWS.

https://twitter.com/sixers/status/864643012500090880

The Lakers not only kept their first round pick, but all they actually moved up to No. 2 in the draft order despite finishing with the third-worst record in the league this season. Why? Because Lakers.

Loser: Orlando Magic

The Sixers were obviously hoping the Lakers’ first round pick would fall out of the top-three so they would receive it, but the Orlando Magic were right there with them, since they would’ve gotten L.A.’ unprotected first round pick in 2019 if that 2017 selection was conveyed to Philly.

Unfortunately for both teams, the Lakers moved up to No. 2. That prevented the Sixers from another top-10 pick and relegated the draft compensation owed to Orlando to two second round picks.

https://twitter.com/JumpinJackFlask/status/864642585129885697

One of those second-rounders will be No. 33 in this year’s draft, while the other will be a second round selection in 2018. Suffice it to say that doesn’t quite measure up to an unprotected first-rounder, even if it would’ve been two years from now.

Combine that with dropping one spot from the fifth-best odds in the lotto to No. 6 in the official draft order and the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery wasn’t a great experience for the Magic.