Winners and losers of the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery

The 2018 NBA Draft Lottery provided a few twists and turns in determining the pecking order for June 21. Here are the biggest winners and losers from Tuesday night.

In the final year under its current format, the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night determined the order of the top 14 picks in the upcoming draft. With several pick swaps in play and plenty of ping pong balls ready to defy the projected pecking order, the draft lottery was once again a hectic and entertaining event for non-playoff teams and playoff teams alike.

In the end, the Phoenix Suns earned the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in franchise history, with the Sacramento Kings (No. 2) and Atlanta Hawks (No. 3) rounding out the top three.

With a loaded, top-heavy draft class in 2018, the Memphis Grizzlies (No. 4), Dallas Mavericks (No. 5) and Orlando Magic (No. 6) will be licking their chops as well.

Here’s a look at the complete results from the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery:

1. Phoenix Suns
2. Sacramento Kings
3. Atlanta Hawks
4. Memphis Grizzlies
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Orlando Magic
7. Chicago Bulls
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Brooklyn Nets)
9. New York Knicks
10. Philadelphia 76ers (via Los Angeles Lakers)
11. Charlotte Hornets
12. Los Angeles Clippers (via Detroit Pistons)
13. Los Angeles Clippers
14. Denver Nuggets

The question is, who benefitted and lost the most on draft lottery night? Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from Tuesday night.

Winner: Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns have been a franchise for 50 years without ever winning a championship or earning the No. 1 overall pick. Ideally, checking off the latter box for the first time will help them check off the former at some point down the road.

Either way, the Suns will have a hard time missing here. Luka Doncic is a 19-year-old phenom in the second-best basketball league in the world and has played — and thrived — under new head coach Igor Kokoskov with Team Slovenia. Deandre Ayton is a local product from U of A who looks like the second coming of David Robinson — the very player the Suns missed out on the last time they had a top-two pick.

This is the most important summer in franchise history. The Suns have a new head coach, the No. 1 overall pick, two other picks in the top 31, cap space and a general manager ready to be aggressive to put a winning group around Devin Booker and Josh Jackson. For the first time in 50 years, Lady Luck responded to one of the Suns’ desperate “U up?” texts at the draft lottery.

Loser: Memphis Grizzlies

Oof. You could argue the Memphis Grizzlies needed the No. 1 pick as badly as anyone. Not only because of their second-worst record, but also because even with a fully healthy Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, Dillon Brooks is the closest thing they have to a future franchise cornerstone once the last remnants of the Grit-N-Grind era are finally dealt away.

Rather than secure a pick that could’ve nabbed Doncic/Ayton to replace Conley/Gasol, the Grizz fell to No. 4, despite having the second-best odds at the No. 1 overall pick.

There are plenty of great prospects available in the top six or seven picks, but the Grizzlies needed a game-changing, franchise player. They needed a sure thing. They won’t have that luxury entering draft night.

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.

Winner: Atlanta Hawks

Upon realizing Dennis Schroder was not the star franchise point guard they hoped he’d evolve into in 2017-18, the Atlanta Hawks‘ most prominent rebuilding piece was suddenly John Collins, a power forward who had a very good but not great rookie year. That’s not going to cut it, especially with head coach Mike Budenholzer gone.

While the Hawks basically had the same odds of securing a top-three pick as the Dallas Mavericks, they were technically slated for fourth. Moving up to No. 3 gives them plenty of options, even if it comes with the responsibility of selecting at the very spot where the draft really begins.

Assuming both Doncic and Ayton are off the table, the Hawks could add a rim-protecting big at the 5 alongside Collins (Jaren Jackson Jr., Mohamed Bamba, Wendell Carter Jr.) or add to the backcourt (Trae Young) or just add sheer talent regardless of fit (Marvin Bagley III, Michael Porter Jr.). This pick comes with pressure, but it’s a welcome boost up the draft order regardless.

Loser: Dallas Mavericks

Again, the Hawks and Dallas Mavericks essentially had the same odds of securing a top-three pick, but falling from No. 3 all the way to No. 5 had to hurt, especially with the prospect of finding the right complementary frontcourt player for Dennis Smith Jr.

The Mavs may still find that big man, but the decision could be out of their hands now. What if Bamba or Jackson are their guy and they’re both off the board by No. 5? What if they like prefer Bagley to take the scoring load off DSJ and he’s gone?

They’ll still have a very good chance of snagging a franchise cornerstone to pair with Smith and to succeed Dirk Nowitzki, but this is obviously a disappointing drop in the pecking order for a team that lacks a surefire replacement for its aging Hall-of-Famer.

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.