NBA – Winners and losers of the Draft Lottery: The Dallas Mavericks bet has worked

Rarely has the draft lottery been anticipated with such excitement as this year. The reason for this was of course Victor Wembanyama, the main prize of this drawing. While we’ll have to wait until June 22, everyone should already be aware that the Frenchman will be getting a Spurs cap in a good month’s time. The San Antonio Spurs aren’t the only winners tonight in Chicago.

NBA Draft Lottery: The results at a glance

NBA Draft Lottery: Gewinner – Victor Wembanyama

Yes, the Spurs squad is a wasteland, but the 19-year-old couldn’t have done better (his reaction speaks volumes). With the Texans, the Frenchman has one of the most stable franchises in the NBA and if you look at the alternatives, it could have been much worse (e.g. Charlotte or Detroit). Instead, Wembanyama comes under the care of one of the greatest coaches of all time in Gregg Popovich, who also understands all angles of international basketball.

Popovich formed Tim Duncan (although Pop himself would say it was the other way around), plus San Antonio offers a tranquil environment in which the already intense pressure should be somewhat controlled.

The Spurs not only know how to train talent, but also shape it. There are clear hierarchies, clear work structures. The franchise is the star and Wembanyama will submit to that too.

NBA Draft Lottery: Verlierer – Houston Rockets

The Rockets also had a 14 percent chance and were possibly the fastest team to get back into playoff contention through Wembanyama, especially if James Harden actually returns in the summer.

The Rockets are desperate to get competitive again after three miserable years, and that’s still possible – they got the fourth pick, after all – but it won’t be a Frenchman who is 2.24m tall.

NBA Draft Lottery: Gewinner – Dallas Mavericks

Dallas didn’t go up (once again). It’s unbelievable, but the Mavericks have never made up ground in the lottery. This night was no different and the Mavs have to settle for the tenth pick.

After all, the Mavs don’t have to give their pick to the Knicks and can tap a young player. So the bet Dallas made that game against the Bulls (which cost the Mavs $750,000) paid off. It’s minimal consolation for a completely screwed up season.

NBA Draft Lottery: Verlierer – Detroit Pistons

The Pistons had by far the worst record in the NBA with just 17 wins – yet they were the only team in the top 3 that each had a 14 percent chance – to fall, falling to fifth place.

The rebuild in Detroit could now take a little longer, even if Cade Cunningham already has a former top pick in its ranks. Now it is time to find help for the wing. A Brandon Miller will probably no longer be available in fifth place.

NBA Draft Lottery: Gewinner – Portland Trail Blazers

Portland went from five to three, and that’s significant. The Blazers now have two options: either they keep this pick and pick the best possible player, or they peddle the pick to immediately get help for Damian Lillard.

There would also be the extreme variant by trading Lillard, but this would have been more of an option if Portland had actually won the lottery? It may sound weird, but that’s the only way to part with a franchise icon that would have sold it.

NBA Draft Lottery – Loser: Scoot Henderson

The point guard is still regarded as the best player after Wembanyama in this class, but the lottery has only partially helped his position. The Hornets already have LaMelo Ball, Portland have an All-NBA player in Damian Lillard, and Houston already have a glut of guards even without Harden.

Of the obvious tank teams, Spurs would have been the team Henderson needed most, but those are now gone. So the view is directed towards Orlando or Washington. The former hold picks 6 and 11. Now, could the Magic combine those picks to move up the draft and get the needed guard in Henderson?

NBA Draft Lottery – Verlierer: Chicago Bulls

And why does the Magic have two picks in the upcoming draft? Right, there was a trade from Nikola Vucevic, for which Chicago put down two first-round picks and also sold Wendell Carter Jr. Chicago would have kept his pick if, with a bit of luck, she shot up.

Well, the probability of this was only 8.5 percent and so the Bulls get the label “loser” again mainly because of that Vucevic trade. Orlando has converted the center into Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and the 11th pick of the upcoming draft. What a one-sided trade. And from a Bulls perspective: They made the playoffs once (1-4 against Milwaukee) and had Conference finalists Miami on the brink of defeat in the Play-In Conference finalist. It’s the little things in life…