The 2021 NBA Draft Lottery will be held at 7:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday night prior to the tip-off of Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. All eyes will be on which team gets the No. 1 overall pick and the chance to select Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham, who’s widely expected to be taken first in the upcoming draft.
There are 14 teams with ping pong balls in the lottery, which will determine the order for the first four picks in the draft.
The Rockets, looking to rebuild after the James Harden era, hold the best odds with a 14% chance of going No. 1 and a 52.1% chance of landing in the top four. They need that pick to land in the top four, otherwise it will be conveyed to the Thunder as part of a pick swap resulting from the Russell Westbrook-Chris Paul trade.
At the other end of the spectrum, there’s the Warriors, who have just a 2.4% chance of moving into the top four. Here’s a full breakdown of the odds for all 14 teams.
The stakes will also be particularly high at the draft for the Bulls, who need their pick to fall in the top four otherwise it will be sent to the Magic as part of the Nikola Vucevic trade. There’s a 20.2% chance of that happening (including a 4.5% chance of moving up to No. 1), so it’s most likely that Orlando will end up getting that pick.
After the first four selections, the remainder of the draft order is determined by win-loss record and a series of tiebreakers. The 2021 NBA Draft will be held July 29 with coverage on ESPN and ABC.
How to watch the lottery
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
Live stream: Watch ESPN
