Winners and losers of the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery

Winner: Los Angeles Clippers

Karma didn’t reward the Los Angeles Clippers after they tried to make the playoffs without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin rather than tank, but they’ll still have two picks in the lottery.

This was the predictable outcome. The Clippers already had their own lotto pick, plus a top-four protected pick coming their way from the Detroit Pistons. They didn’t move up in the pecking order at all, snagging the 12th and 13th overall selections.

However, they could try to package those picks to move up a spot or two for a player they really like, and even if they don’t, that’s two more young pieces to bolster the inevitable rebuild. Lady Luck ignored them Tuesday night, but the Clippers still came out winners anyway.

Loser: Detroit Pistons

The odds of the Detroit Pistons retaining their first round pick were slim, with only a 2.5 percent chance of moving into the top three to keep their top-four protected pick, which was dealt to the Clippers in the Blake Griffin trade.

Unfortunately, the 97.5 percent won out, so the Pistons will send the 12th overall pick to Los Angeles. This stings, not only because Griffin’s arrival wasn’t enough to push the Pistons into the playoffs, but also because Stan Van Gundy — the architect of Detroit’s destruction — isn’t even around to witness the consequences anymore.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition

The Griffin-Andre Drummond pairing can still work, but Griffin is getting older and could become serious deadweight if he can’t stay healthy into his early 30s. Now, instead of adding a lottery pick to a roster that desperately needs an infusion of young talent, the Pistons have nothing but prayers and sacrifices to whatever injury god will keep the Flyin’ Lion on the court for the next 3-4 years.