Winners and losers of the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery

Winner: Sacramento Kings

Had the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery panned out according to the odds, the Sacramento Kings would’ve been picking seventh overall. Instead, not only did they jump into the top three, but they moved all the way up to No. 2 in the pecking order.

Now, they’re in the cushiest position in a draft that seems to have a significant gap between the two best prospects and the rest of top 10. Whoever the Suns take between Doncic and Ayton, the Kings will be able to scoop up.

Center is clearly the bigger position of need, so they’ll be keeping their fingers crossed for Ayton, but either way, they’ll be getting a terrific talent without any of the pressure of choosing between the two — good news for a franchise notorious for botching draft decisions in the top 10, even with the unfortunate history of No. 2 overall picks to consider.

Loser: Chicago Bulls

By winning the tiebreaker with the Sacramento Kings, who also posted a 27-55 record this year, the Chicago Bulls actually wound up hurting themselves. It was basically the most fitting outcome possible for a fanbase that hates its front office.

While the Kings moved up from No. 7 to No. 2 overall because of that lost tiebreaker, the Bulls dropped from sixth in the projected draft order to No. 7.

Even after the signs of progress from youngsters like Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Bobby Portis, Lauri Markkanen and Denzel Valentine this year, missing out on the chance at a blue chip prospect hurts, especially since it came at the hands of winning some silly tiebreaker.