Trail Blazers Rumors

Blazers Notes: Avdija, Ownership, No. 11, Henderson

May 17th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers‘ 2024 trade for Deni Avdija has been a major win for the team so far, as the forward enjoyed a breakout 2024/25 season and established himself as perhaps Portland’s most valuable player, says Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.

Avdija’s contract, which will pay him $39.4MM over the next three seasons, has turned into one of the NBA’s most team-friendly deals, especially given the star potential he flashed at times this past year. As Fentress writes, the 24-year-old could be in the All-Star conversation next season if he’s able to come anywhere close to matching the 24.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game (on .508/.431/.816 shooting) he posted during his final 16 appearances in March and April.

Avdija has taken on a leadership role on a Blazers team featuring several core players who are younger than him, telling reporters at the end of the season that he “likes to be an example” with his work ethic. His goal heading into next season is to make more of an impact on the other end of the court.

“The next step for me is to become a great two-way player,” he said, per Fentress. “Be more involved on the defensive end.”

Here’s more on the Blazers:

Many fans in Portland have been waiting since Paul Allen‘s death in 2018 for the franchise to be sold, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link), who notes those fans are about to get their wish. The question now is whether a new ownership group will really improve the team’s fortunes, given that ownership changes aren’t always for the best, as Highkin outlines, citing a few NBA examples.
In a separate Substack article, Highkin considers the Blazers’ options with the No. 11 pick in this year’s draft, acknowledging that it’s still early to get a sense of which prospects Portland might like most at that spot. The team’s inclusion of last year’s No. 14 pick in a deal for Avdija shows the front office is comfortable trading a lottery pick for a more established player, Highkin writes, though he also points out that Avdija was someone the front office targeted for a while and there’s no guarantee there will be a similar fit out there this year.
Within an explanation of why teams in the back half of the lottery are unlikely to target point guards in the draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic cites sources “around the Blazers” who say they’re pleased with the development Scoot Henderson made in the second half of 2024/25. Henderson hasn’t had the sort of impact that many evaluators expected in his first two NBA seasons, but he averaged a solid 14.2 points and 5.2 assists per game on .434/.384/.766 shooting in his final 35 games this year, with Portland going 19-16 during that stretch.

Fischer’s Latest: Cavs, Rockets, Hawks, Blazers, Draft

May 16th, 2025 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers avoided the luxury tax this season when they sent Caris LeVert and Georges Niang to Atlanta at the trade deadline in a deal for De’Andre Hunter, which allowed them to duck below the tax threshold by less than $1MM. According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), that move was widely viewed as one intended to create financial flexibility for the Cavs going forward, rather than as part of a directive to cut costs.

The Cavaliers’ salary projects to soar well into apron territory beginning in 2025/26, and while the team presumably has some sort of upper limit for how much it’s willing to spend in a given season, Dan Gilbert has been portrayed as an owner who is comfortable paying tax penalties as long as the club is a legitimate contender, according to Fischer.

Despite Cleveland’s second-round playoff exit, the club presumably still views itself as a contender on the heels of a 64-win season, Fischer notes. That means it appears safe to assume the Cavs will operate above the luxury tax line for the foreseeable future, with future repeater penalties pushed down the road by an extra year as a result of avoiding the tax this season.

Here’s more from Fischer:

Rival teams expect the Rockets to explore trading the No. 10 overall pick in this year’s draft for win-now talent, according to Fischer, who notes that last year’s No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard couldn’t break into Houston’s regular rotation during his first season. People around the league are skeptical the Rockets will be looking to add another lottery-pick rookie to the mix as the club looks to take the next step toward title contention.
Although the Hawks continue to seek a new head of basketball operations and have arranged interviews with some candidates, there’s still a chance that Atlanta opts not to make an additional hire after dismissing Landry Fields and promoting Onsi Saleh to general manager, sources tell Fischer. There is already reportedly no shortage of executives who have a voice in Atlanta’s personnel decisions, as we detailed last month.
In addition to reiterating that the Pelicans would be a potential facilitator to watch in the event of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade request, Fischer points to the Trail Blazers as another team to monitor in that scenario. While New Orleans controls Milwaukee’s 2026 and 2027 first-round picks via swap rights, Portland will be in that position from 2028-30, so if the Bucks want to regain control of their own drafts, they’d have to deal with one or both of those clubs.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Miles Byrd, Cedric Coward, and Karter Knox are among the prospects testing the draft waters whose decisions are being “eagerly awaited” by NBA teams, Fischer writes. According to Fischer, all four players have multi-million-dollar NIL offers on the table if they return to college, including a $3MM+ offer from Michigan for Lendeborg. They have until May 28 to decide whether to keep their names in the draft pool or withdraw.
In case you missed it, Fischer reported that there’s a “rising expectation” Myles Turner will re-sign with the Pacers, as we covered in a separate story.

2025 NBA Draft Picks By Team

May 16th, 2025 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets and Jazz were among the teams who left Monday’s draft lottery disappointed, as Brooklyn slipped two spots to No. 8 while Utah, the NBA’s worst team during the 2024/25 season, ended up at No. 6.

Still, while they won’t be picking as high in the lottery as they might like, the Nets and Jazz will enter this year’s draft armed with plenty of ammunition. Brooklyn controls a league-high five 2025 draft picks, including four first-rounders and an early second-rounder. Utah, meanwhile, is one of just two teams (along with the Magic) controlling four picks in this year’s draft, including a pair of first-rounders.

Four other clubs – the Spurs, Hornets, Wizards, and Thunder – own three picks apiece, so those seven teams combine to control 25 of the 59 selections in the 2025 draft.

In addition to those teams with three or more picks, 12 more clubs own a pair of 2025 draft selections, while another 10 control one apiece. That latter group includes the Mavericks, whose No. 1 overall pick is their only selection in this year’s draft.

That leaves just a single NBA team without a draft pick this year: the Nuggets. Denver traded its 2025 first-rounder to Orlando back in 2021 as part of a package for Aaron Gordon in a deal that has worked out exceedingly well for the 2023 champions and sent out its 2025 second-rounder last offseason in a Reggie Jackson salary-dump. The Nuggets could still trade into this draft, but for now they’re the only team on track to sit it out.

To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2025 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 59 selections by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…

Teams with more than two picks:

Brooklyn Nets (5): 8, 19, 26, 27, 36
Utah Jazz (4): 5, 21, 43, 53
Orlando Magic (4): 16, 25, 46, 57
San Antonio Spurs (3): 2, 14, 38
Charlotte Hornets (3): 4, 33, 34
Washington Wizards (3): 6, 18, 40
Oklahoma City Thunder (3): 15, 24, 44

Teams with two picks:

Philadelphia 76ers: 3, 35
Toronto Raptors: 9, 39
Houston Rockets: 10, 59
Chicago Bulls: 12, 45
Atlanta Hawks: 13, 22
Minnesota Timberwolves: 17, 31
Indiana Pacers: 23, 54
Boston Celtics: 28, 32
Phoenix Suns: 29, 52
Los Angeles Clippers: 30, 51
Memphis Grizzlies: 48, 56
Cleveland Cavaliers: 49, 58

Teams with one pick:

Dallas Mavericks: 1
New Orleans Pelicans: 7
Portland Trail Blazers: 11
Miami Heat: 20
Detroit Pistons: 37
Golden State Warriors: 41
Sacramento Kings: 42
Milwaukee Bucks: 47
New York Knicks: 50
Los Angeles Lakers: 55

Teams with no picks:

Denver Nuggets

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Dort, Blazers, Jazz, Uzan

May 15th, 2025 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

After being eliminated in the Western Conference Finals in the spring of 2024, Anthony Edwards vowed the Timberwolves would be “back next year,” writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

That looked like a long shot for much of the season as Minnesota spent most of 2024/25 hovering around the seventh or eighth spot in the West. But the Wolves moved up to sixth on the last day of the regular season, dispatched the Lakers in round one, and – with Wednesday’s win over Golden State – made good on Edwards’ declaration, as well as responding to a challenge issued by head coach Chris Finch.

“The challenge we laid down to our guys from day one was quite simple,” Finch said after the Wolves’ Game 5 victory, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It was one question: ‘Were you a Western Conference Finals team, or were you a team that just happened to make the Western Conference Finals?’ And there’s only one way to prove that: Go out and do it again. And that was our mission all year.”

While the Wolves have achieved one of their goals, they’re still two series wins away from their ultimate objective, which is why Edwards told reporters on Wednesday that there’s “no satisfaction” in the locker room yet, according to McMenamin. Minnesota would enter the 2025 Western Finals as a significant underdog if the 68-win Thunder get past Denver in the other conference semifinal, but the Wolves players say they’re not fazed by that.

“Our mentality going in was nobody expected us to beat the Lakers, no one expected us to beat the Warriors,” Donte DiVincenzo said. “So our expectation going in was just stick together and we know that no one is going to pick us, and we’re fine with that.”

We have more from around the Northwest:

After not playing in the fourth quarter of the Thunder‘s Game 4 win and scoring just three points in the first three quarters of Game 5, veteran wing Luguentz Dort keyed Oklahoma City’s Tuesday comeback with a trio of consecutive three-pointers in the fourth quarter, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Head coach Mark Daigneault had reaffirmed his faith in Dort after Game 4, referring to him as “the last guy I’m worried about,” and wasn’t surprised by his Game 5 heroics. “I don’t bet against Lu,” Daigneault said. “It’s that simple.”
It’s business as usual for the Trail Blazers‘ front office with the franchise up for sale, reports Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. A source tells Fentress that general manager Joe Cronin is operating with no additional restrictions during the sale process. As Fentress writes, while it’s not uncommon for a new ownership group to make managerial and coaching changes, both Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups recently signed contract extensions, so they at least have some financial security going forward.
Milos Uzan worked out for the Jazz last week and said he got some “pretty good feedback” from the team, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who notes that Carlos Boozer – rumored to be joining Utah as a scout – referred to Uzan as “one of the better players in the workout.” The Houston guard is the 41st overall prospect on ESPN’s big board, while the Jazz control three picks (Nos. 21, 43, and 53) in addition to their lottery selection.

Phil Knight Won’t Be Bidding On Trail Blazers

May 14th, 2025 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite making efforts in the past to buy the Trail Blazers, Nike co-founder Phil Knight said on Wednesday that he won’t be involved in the bidding process now that the franchise is formally up for sale.

“Five years ago, when I was a younger man, I had a great interest in being a part of the Portland Trail Blazers franchise,” Knight said in a statement, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter link). “However, at my current age, I can confirm that I no longer have interest.”

Knight, formerly the chairman and CEO of Nike, is now the chairman emeritus of the company at age 87. A native of Portland, he has an estimated net worth of over $30 billion, per Forbes.

Knight teamed up with Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky in 2022 in an effort to buy the Trail Blazers from late owner Paul Allen‘s estate, which was being overseen by his sister Jody Allen. She stated at the time that the franchise wasn’t for sale.

According to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter links), it’s unclear whether Vulcan LLC – the ownership group that controls the Blazers – would have wanted to sell to Knight even if he still had interest in bidding. As Highkin explains, the group believes Knight planted Jody Allen hit pieces in the New York Post and Wall Street Journal after his offer for the team was turned down.

Potential bidders for the Blazers haven’t yet been identified, but Highkin wrote in his story on the sale (Substack link) that Allen’s estate expects a “competitive group.”

As Highkin details in that story, resolution on the future of the Moda Center likely won’t occur until after the sale of the franchise is complete. The city of Portland and the Blazers agreed last year to a five-year bridge extension for the team’s lease on the arena, which runs through 2030. That extension was designed to give them time to negotiate a longer-term deal.

Northwest Notes: Edwards, Westbrook, Jazz, Blazers

May 13th, 2025 at 6:20pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Timberwolves trailing Golden State at halftime in Game 4 on Monday, a locker-room speech from Anthony Edwards helped spark a huge third-quarter turnaround, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“I told them, ‘We only got two wins,'” Edwards told reporters after Minnesota’s Game 4 win. “I’ve never seen a series end 2-1. I told them we have to get two more wins and right now we’re playing like we already got four wins. … We had to figure it out because if we would have kept playing like that, we would have lost tonight.”

Edwards made good on his halftime speech by coming out and scoring 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the third quarter. The Timberwolves as a whole outscored the Warriors 39-17, making it the largest positive margin in a single quarter in Wolves playoff history, per McMenamin.

As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes, the Timberwolves will need to remain cognizant of Edwards’ message and avoid getting complacent going forward in order to finish off the series. After building a big lead in the third quarter on Monday, they saw that lead whittled down to seven points in the fourth before putting the game way. As they head home for Game 5, guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker spoke about a need to “understand the moment.”

“Have to be present and understand that these are situations that are pivotal,” he said. “You have a chance to close out on your home court as opposed to having to go elsewhere and try to win and then do it again and come back on the road and travel.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

The Nuggets had been interested in Russell Westbrook for years before signing him last summer, believing that his energy and competitiveness would be a welcome addition to the roster, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. However, the veteran guard remains a volatile personality who reportedly pouted after being taken out near the end of a first-round loss and got into a heated discussion with Aaron Gordon in the locker room after being challenged over his attitude, sources tell ESPN. According to Shelburne, the Nuggets’ chances of advancing in the playoffs and having a shot at another title could come down to which version of Westbrook they get going forward.
Even though there was nearly a 50/50 chance that the Jazz would end up at No. 5 in the draft, that outcome was still a gut-punch for fans in Utah on the heels of a 17-win season. Tony Jones of The Athletic weighs what’s next for the Jazz after a disappointing lottery night, suggesting that the team should still land a promising young building block at No. 5. But since that player likely won’t make an immediate impact on winning as a rookie, Utah could be back in this position in 2026, hoping for better lottery luck.
Keith Smith of Spotrac previews the coming offseason in Portland, evaluating the Trail Blazers‘ top trade candidates and considering what a rookie scale extension might look like for Shaedon Sharpe (Smith projects $112MM over four years).

Draft Lottery Notes: Spurs, Sixers, Mavs, Nets, Hornets, More

May 13th, 2025 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of last night’s eventful NBA draft lottery, a series of draft experts – including ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic – have updated their 2025 mocks.

A common theme has emerged in those mock drafts, with ESPN’s duo, O’Connor, and Vecenie questioning the fit of certain players who are expected to come off the board right after Cooper Flagg at No. 1. Rutgers’ Dylan Harper, for instance, has long been viewed as the consensus No. 2 in this year’s draft pool, but he’s not exactly a clean fit for the Spurs next to guards Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox.

The Sixers, meanwhile, could add a one-and-done prospect like Harper’s former Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey, but the 18-year-old guard/forward – considered by many pundits to be the third-best player in this year’s draft – is viewed as more of a long-term project who may not fit into Philadelphia’s win-now plans.

In other words, John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, the unexpected results of Monday’s lottery have opened the door for some tantalizing offseason trade possibilities. With the Mavericks, San Antonio, and Philadelphia all closer to contention than is typical for teams at the top of the draft, could Dallas or the Spurs consider using their pick in a package for a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo? Could the 76ers trade down, or perhaps even swing for a star themselves by attaching Paul George to the No. 3 pick and a couple future first-rounders?

As Hollinger notes, there’s some intrigue further down the lottery as well, where teams like the Pelicans and Rockets don’t necessarily need to add rookies to their roster and might consider shopping their picks at No. 7 and 10, respectively. Hollinger also suggests that the Trail Blazers could look into putting the No. 11 pick in a package to improve the trade value of a veteran like Jerami Grant or Deandre Ayton.

Here’s more on the heels of Monday’s shocking draft lottery:

Rival teams view the Nets as a team to monitor for a possible trade up in the draft, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). As Fischer explains, the Nets have three additional first-round picks this year (at No. 19, 26, and 27) on top of their lottery pick at No. 8 and have an excess of future first-rounders as well. They also lack a blue-chip prospect to build around.
Several of the media members who were in the lottery drawing room on Monday, including Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News, Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer, and Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link), have published stories from behind the scenes. As Boone writes, although Charlotte dropped one spot from their pre-lottery rank, Hornets governor Rick Schnall was relieved his team will be picking in the top four. “We are obviously disappointed we didn’t get the No. 1, but it could be a lot worse,” Schnall said. “I thought (for a minute) we were going to be seventh. But we are going to get a good player.”
Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who was also in attendance for the drawing, responds to conspiracy theories about the lottery being rigged by explaining why he believes that’s very unlikely.
With many fans displeased about the outcome of Monday’s lottery and questioning whether the event is above board, Michael McCann of Sportico digs into why a lottery determines the NBA’s draft order at all, exploring other ways the league could distribute talent and explaining why those alternatives wouldn’t necessarily be any better.
A series of ESPN’s NBA reporters takes a look at the biggest question facing each of the 13 teams in the lottery after Monday’s results.

Trail Blazers Announce Plans To Sell Franchise

May 13th, 2025 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have begun the process of selling the franchise, the team announced today (via Twitter).

According to the club’s statement, the estate of late Blazers owner Paul Allen has chosen the investment bank Allen & Co. and the law firm Hogan Lovells to lead the sale process, which is expected to continue into the 2025/26 season.

Allen passed away on October 15, 2018, resulting in control of the franchise being transferred to his sister Jody Allen, the trustee and executor of his estate. The plan following Paul Allen’s death was for ownership of the Blazers to eventually change hands as part of an estate sale.

Jody Allen stated in 2022 that there was “no preordained timeline” for the Blazers to be sold, noting that “estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down.” Nearly three years later, the sale process has finally gotten underway.

When Sportico published its most recent NBA franchise valuations in late 2024, the Blazers were estimated to be worth $3.6 billion, ranking 23rd among the league’s 30 teams. The Celtics have since reached a tentative sale agreement for a record valuation of $6.1 billion, which may help bump the Blazers’ eventual price tag beyond that $3.6 billion projection.

Nike co-founder Phil Knight and Los Angeles Dodgers minority owner Alan Smolinisky made offers for the franchise in the past, but were turned down by Jody Allen in 2022 and again in 2023.

According to the Blazers, all estate proceeds as a result of the sale will be directed toward philanthropy, per Paul Allen’s wishes.

The news doesn’t affect the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, who are also controlled by Allen’s estate and aren’t up for sale at this time.

Mavericks Win 2025 NBA Draft Lottery; Spurs, Sixers, Hornets In Top 4

May 12th, 2025 at 6:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have won the 2025 NBA draft lottery, jumping all the way from No. 11 in the lottery standings to No. 1 in the draft.

Dallas had just a 1.8% chance of claiming this year’s top pick. Those are the longest odds for any team that has won the lottery since the NBA revamped the format prior to the 2019 draft.

The Mavs’ unlikely lottery victory puts them in position to select consensus top prospect Cooper Flagg, the Duke star who led the Blue Devils to the Final Four as a freshman and was named the ACC Player of the Year, as well as the Naismith College Player of the Year.

The full lottery order for the 2025 draft is as follows:

Dallas Mavericks
San Antonio Spurs
Philadelphia 76ers
Charlotte Hornets
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
New Orleans Pelicans
Brooklyn Nets
Toronto Raptors
Houston Rockets (from Suns)
Portland Trail Blazers
Chicago Bulls
Atlanta Hawks (from Kings)
San Antonio Spurs (from Hawks)

It’s an incredible turn of events in Dallas, where general manager Nico Harrison and his front office have been hammered by fans and pundits alike for the last three-plus months for their decision to trade franchise player Luka Doncic to the Lakers at February’s deadline. Now the Mavs are poised to add another cornerstone and a potential All-Star in Flagg, who will join Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving on the new-look roster.

As Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News tweets, this is the first time in 17 lottery appearances that the Mavs ended up with a better pick than their odds dictated.

The lottery results feature plenty of fascinating stories beyond Dallas’ win, starting with the Spurs‘ pick moving up from No. 8 in the pre-lottery order to No. 2 in the draft. Dylan Harper of Rutgers is widely viewed as the second-best prospect in this year’s class behind Flagg and will be the frontrunner to join an up-and-coming San Antonio roster that already features Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle.

When it was revealed on ESPN’s broadcast that the Mavericks and Spurs had moved into the top four, it momentarily looked as if the Sixers would lose their top-six protected pick, which appeared poised to slide to No. 7 and be sent to the Thunder. However, Philadelphia was among the lucky clubs to move up, claiming the No. 3 pick and hanging onto the selection for at least one more year. The 76ers will now owe their 2026 first-rounder, with top-four protection, to Oklahoma City.

The Hornets, who entered the lottery as one of three teams tied for the best odds at the first overall pick (14%), moved down one spot from No. 3 to No. 4. The Jazz and Wizards, who posted the NBA’s two worst records during the regular season, were even less fortunate, falling four spots each and coming in at No. 5 and No. 6.

That’s a worst-case scenario for those two clubs, who came into the night hoping to add a centerpiece like Flagg or Harper for their rebuild and instead dropped as far as they could have. There was a 47.9% chance Utah would end up at No. 5, but just a 20% chance Washington would slide all the way to No. 6.

The Pelicans were among the night’s biggest losers as well, slipping from No. 4 in the pre-lottery order to No. 7 when three teams leapfrogged them. The Nets and Raptors each dropped two spots to No. 8 and No. 9, respectively, while the Rockets (No. 10, via the Suns) and Trail Blazers (No. 11) slid one spot.

Although the Bulls didn’t move from their pre-lottery slot of No. 12, they had one of the biggest heartbreaks of the night — they finished with the same regular season record as the Mavericks and lost a coin flip last month for the No. 11 spot in the lottery. If they had won that tiebreaker, it would be the Bulls, not the Mavs, whose ping-pong ball combination was drawn for the top pick on Monday.

The lack of movement at the very back of the lottery means the Kings‘ pick, which came in at No. 13, will be sent to the Hawks, as expected. That selection – from the 2022 Kevin Huerter trade – was top-12 protected, so Sacramento only would have kept it if it had jumped into the top four.

The Spurs’ second pick of the lottery, courtesy of the Hawks, didn’t move from No. 14.

The NBA has posted a 13-minute video of the lottery drawing on social media.

Community Shootaround: Best, Worst Draft Lottery Outcomes

May 11th, 2025 at 8:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Fans of NBA teams who own a pick (or two) in this year’s lottery will obviously be rooting for their favorite club to get lucky on Monday and claim the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, putting them in position to select Duke phenom Cooper Flagg.

But what about the fans who don’t have a personal rooting interest in Monday’s event? What outcome should they be hoping for? Would it be more interesting for Flagg to become the centerpiece of a rebuilding team that badly needs one, like the Jazz or Wizards? Or would it be more fun to see him join a team with some established talent that only ended up high in the lottery due to injuries, like the Pelicans or Sixers?

Here are all the teams that have a shot at the No. 1 pick, as our breakdown of the lottery odds indicates:

Utah Jazz (14%): The Jazz have made five first-round picks in the past two drafts, but none of those players looks like an obvious franchise cornerstone. They bottomed out this season in the hopes of landing one.
Washington Wizards (14%): If the Wizards ended up with the first overall pick, they’d be adding Flagg to a young core that includes Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, and Bub Carrington.
Charlotte Hornets (14%): The Hornets almost certainly would’ve been a lottery team even if they’d been healthy in 2024/25, but injuries to key players like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams are the main reason they’re this high in the lottery standings.
New Orleans Pelicans (12.5%): Perhaps no team was hit harder by the injury bug this past year than the Pelicans, whose decision on Zion Williamson‘s future (keep or trade) would be all the more interesting if they were able to add Flagg.
Philadelphia 76ers (10.5%): While Joel Embiid‘s health remains a major question mark going forward, no Eastern Conference team would want the Sixers to get the chance to add Flagg to a group that features Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey.
Brooklyn Nets (9%): The Nets reacquired control of their first-round pick from Houston last offseason, anticipating that they’d be in this position. That trade would pay off in a massive way if they get lucky on lottery night.
Toronto Raptors (7.5%): The Raptors have a crowded forward depth chart already, with Brandon Ingram joining Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett. Adding Flagg to the mix would create a pretty unbalanced roster, but they’d absolutely welcome that problem.
San Antonio Spurs (6.7%): Besides their own pick (6.0%), the Spurs also control the Hawks’ first-rounder (0.7%), giving them two outside shots at No. 1. Given that the Spurs won the lottery for Victor Wembanyama just two years ago, it would feel a little unfair for them to luck into Flagg too, but that duo would be very fun to watch together.
Houston Rockets (3.8%): The 52-win Rockets, who control Phoenix’s first-round pick, have no shortage of young talent on their roster already. Winning the lottery would be a case of the rich getting richer, especially considering that Houston also has extra future draft assets that could be used as trade chips for additional upgrades.
Portland Trail Blazers (3.7%): Portland’s young core features plenty of intriguing talent, including Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson, but they’d love to add one more long-term keeper to that group before they start trying to contend. For what it’s worth, the Hawks moved up from this spot in the lottery standings to No. 1 last year.
Dallas Mavericks (1.8%): Jumping up to No. 1 might be karmic justice for fans in Dallas, who were devastated by this year’s Luka Doncic trade. But would it feel right for general manager Nico Harrison to be rewarded with a new franchise player after making that Doncic deal? Either way, adding Flagg to a roster that features Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving would certainly qualify as intriguing.
Chicago Bulls (1.7%): The Bulls have begun leaning into a rebuild this past year, having traded away Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine. They’ll probably need to tear things down further if they want to have a legitimate shot at a top pick, but you never know.
Sacramento Kings (0.8%): The Kings’ top-12 protected pick will likely be sent to Atlanta at No. 13, but there’s a 0.8% chance of them moving up to No. 1. After a tumultuous year that saw Sacramento fire head coach Mike Brown and GM Monte McNair and trade star point guard De’Aaron Fox, new head of basketball operations Scott Perry would love to begin his tenure by seeing this long shot of less than 1-in-100 come through.

We want to know what you think. Outside of your favorite team, which club would you most like to see win the draft lottery on Monday evening? Which outcome would be a worst-case scenario, in your view?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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