Duke didn’t win the NCAA Tournament, but for a portion of the NBA, this spring is all about Cooper Flagg.
The NBA’s race to the bottom is nearly complete, with Flagg the top prize after a dominant freshman season for the Blue Devils. Four teams will enter May’s NBA Draft lottery with the highest odds to land the No. 1 pick, which is fully expected to be Flagg regardless of who makes the selection.
Fortunately for the teams who miss out on Flagg, this year’s draft is considered to be much stronger than last year’s. The first round offers plenty of talent, from prolific scorers in Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey to high-upside, athletic players in Kasparas Jakucionis and Khaman Maluach.
Which teams are best positioned to land at the top of the draft order? Here’s a breakdown of the NBA Draft lottery standings and odds for the No. 1 pick.
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NBA Draft lottery standings
| Pick | Team | Record |
| 1 | Jazz | 16-63 |
| 2 | Wizards | 17-61 |
| 3 | Hornets | 19-59 |
| 4 | Pelicans | 21-57 |
| 5 | 76ers* | 23-55 |
| 6 | Nets | 25-53 |
| 7 | Raptors | 29-50 |
| 8 | Spurs | 32-46 |
| 9 | Trail Blazers | 35-44 |
| 10 | Suns (pick goes to Rockets) | 35-43 |
| 11 | Heat | 35-43 |
| 12 | Bulls | 36-42 |
| 13 | Mavericks | 38-41 |
| 14 | Kings (pick goes to Hawks) | 38-40 |
* – 76ers’ selection would go to Oklahoma City if it falls outside the top six.
The Jazz hold the NBA’s worst record at 16-63, with the Wizards and Hornets rounding out the top three. If the season ended today, Utah, Washington, and Charlotte would all have equal odds to land the No. 1 pick.
Here’s a closer look at how the odds break down.
MORE: Updated NBA standings, playoff picture
NBA lottery odds 2025
| Pick | Team | No. 1 pick odds | Top 4 pick odds |
| 1 | Jazz | 14% | 52.1% |
| 2 | Wizards | 14% | 52.1% |
| 3 | Hornets | 14% | 52.1% |
| 4 | Pelicans | 12.5% | 48.1% |
| 5 | 76ers | 10.5% | 42.1% |
| 6 | Nets | 9% | 37.2% |
| 7 | Raptors | 7.5% | 32.0% |
| 8 | Spurs | 6% | 26.3% |
| 9 | Trail Blazers | 4.5% | 20.3% |
| 10 | Suns (pick goes to Rockets) | 2.5% | 11.7% |
| 11 | Heat | 2.5% | 11.7% |
| 12 | Bulls | 1.5% | 7.1% |
| 13 | Mavericks | 1% | 4.8% |
| 14 | Kings (pick goes to Hawks) | 0.5% | 2.4% |
* – 76ers’ selection would go to Oklahoma City if it falls outside the top six.
Under the balanced NBA Draft lottery system, finishing with the league’s worst record only gives a team a 14 percent chance to land the No. 1 pick. The teams with the worst three records all have 14 percent odds to secure the top pick, with No. 4 (12.5%) and No. 5 (10.5%) not far behind.
Nevertheless, the Jazz, Wizards, and Hornets currently have the best odds to land the top pick, followed by the Pelicans and 76ers.
The Hawks won the No. 1 pick in 2024 despite having the 10th-best odds. While much of the attention in the Flagg sweepstakes has been on the Jazz, Wizards, and Hornets, the balanced lottery system leaves the door open for just about every team in the lottery to have a realistic chance.
NBA mock draft 2025
Here’s a snapshot of the lottery picks from SN’s Gilbert McGregor’s pre-NCAA Tournament mock draft:
| Pick | Team | Player | School |
| 1 | Jazz | Cooper Flagg | Duke |
| 2 | Wizards | Dylan Harper | Rutgers |
| 3 | Hornets | VJ Edgecombe | Baylor |
| 4 | Pelicans | Tre Johnson | Texas |
| 5 | 76ers | Ace Bailey | Rutgers |
| 6 | Nets | Khaman Maluach | Duke |
| 7 | Raptors | Kasparas Jakucionis | Illinois |
| 8 | Spurs | Kon Knueppel | Duke |
| 9 | Heat | Collin Murray-Boyles | South Carolina |
| 10 | Bulls | Derik Queen | Maryland |
| 11 | Trail Blazers | Noa Essengue | N/A (France) |
| 12 | Rockets | Jeremiah Fears | Oklahoma |
| 13 | Mavericks | Nolan Traore | N/A (France) |
| 14 | Hawks | Rasheer Fleming | St. Joseph’s |
