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Chicago hosted the NBA’s annual draft lottery on Monday night. Despite entering the lottery with just 1.8% odds, the Dallas Mavericks landed the top selection for this year’s upcoming draft.
But the Mavericks were not the only franchise to experience some unexpected good fortune in Chicago. The San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers also landed the rights to picks in the top three. The night’s surprising events prompted a strong response from Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.
Durant suggested the current NBA Draft landscape allows for a considerable level of uncertainty.
COOPER FLAGG’S LIKELY NBA DESTINATION REVEALED AFTER DRAFT LOTTERY
More specifically, the Suns forward seemed to highlight the morale of organizations that fall short after employing tanking strategies with the hopes of landing a top pick.
“Tanking must be really stressful on a organization,” the 2014 NBA MVP wrote on X.
The Charlotte Hornets once again finished well below the .500 mark, ending the 2024-25 season with less than 20 wins. The Washington Wizards, who held the second overall selection in last year’s draft, also failed to record more than 20 wins this past regular season.
Despite the lackluster records and relatively strong odds of landing a top pick, the Hornets and Wizards both ultimately earned selections outside the top three.
The NBA lottery odds have noticeably flattened in the past few years, which makes it more unlikely that teams who hit the reset button will end up being rewarded with the rights to a top three selection.
However, it was just a few years ago that the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets finished a season with some of the poorest win-loss records in the league. The Thunder and Rockets entered this year’s NBA playoffs as the Western Conference’s first and second seeds, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Suns appear to be at a crossroads. This offseason, the Suns front office will have to decide whether to hit the reset button as the Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal trio proved to be a largely unsuccessful venture.
Phoenix missed the postseason after finishing the 2024-25 season with a 36-46 record. The Suns parted ways with coach Mike Budenholzer in April after just one season.
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