For the fourth time in franchise history, the Orlando Magic have won the NBA draft lottery and will pick No. 1 in the June draft.
Orlando had a 14% chance to get the top pick, along with the Houston Rockets and the Detroit Pistons.
It’s the Magic’s first chance to pick No. 1 overall since 2004, when they selected Dwight Howard. Orlando also won the lottery in back-to-back years in 1992 (Shaquille O’Neal) and 1993 (Chris Webber, who was traded to Golden State for Penny Hardaway and three future first-rounders).
The Oklahoma City Thunder will select at No. 2, the franchise’s first top-four pick since 2009 when it drafted James Harden. The Thunder also have a second lottery pick at No. 12 as a result of the trade that sent Paul George to the LA Clippers.
Drafting at No. 3 will be the Rockets, who had the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft. It’s the first time the Rockets have picked in the top four in consecutive years since 1983-84.
The Kings had a 7.5% chance to jump into the top four and were the only team to leap into the top group that didn’t have the best four odds. They knocked out the Pistons, who will select fifth now.
The Indiana Pacers will draft at No. 6, marking the first time they’ve had a top-nine pick since 1989. The Portland Trail Blazers, represented by star Damian Lillard at Tuesday night’s lottery ceremony, received the seventh selection.
Because the Los Angeles Lakers‘ pick fell in the top 10 at No. 8, that selection goes to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the Anthony Davis trade from the summer of 2019.
The pick had a 99.6% chance of conferring to the Pelicans; if it…
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