NBA Draft Lottery 2022: Which team has best odds to win No. 1 pick?

Contributor
Gilbert McGregor
NBA Draft Lottery 2022: Which team has best odds to win No. 1 pick? image

With the 2021-22 NBA regular season now over, most of the 10 teams that did not qualify for postseason play will now shift their focus to the upcoming NBA Draft process.

The first part of the draft process is the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 17. 

This year marks the fourth draft lottery in which each of the league's bottom three teams has a 14.0 percent chance of winning the top pick in the draft. From there, odds are staggered in order from worst to best record among the other non-playoff teams.

Who has the best chance at winning this year's top pick?

2022 NBA Draft Lottery Odds 

Here are the odds for the 2022 NBA Draft lottery.

The Top 4 column represents a team's chances of earning one of the top four picks in the NBA Draft, while the No. 1 Pick column represents a team's chances of winning the top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

(Current through April 10 games) 

TeamRecordTop 4No. 1 Pick
Rockets20-6252.1%14.0%
Magic22-6052.1%14.0%
Pistons23-5952.1%14.0%
Thunder24-5848.1%12.5%
Pacers25-5742.1%10.5%
Trail Blazers27-5537.2%9.0%
Kings30-5232.0%7.5%
Lakers → Pelicans33-4926.3%6.0%
Spurs*34-4820.3%4.5%
Wizards35-4711.7%3.0%
Pelicans* → Trail Blazers36-4611.7%2.0%
Knicks37-457.1%1.5%
Hawks*43-394.8%1.0%
Hornets*43-392.4%0.5%

*Indicates teams in the Play-In Tournament. Should a Play-In Tournament team qualify for the NBA Playoffs, it would select outside of the lottery.

The Pelicans acquired the Lakers' pick in the 2019 trade that sent Anthony Davis to Los Angeles.

The Trail Blazers acquired the Pelicans' pick in the February trade that sent C.J. McCollum to New Orleans.

History of No. 1 overall picks in NBA Draft

Here are the last 10 teams to select first overall in the NBA Draft.

Prior to 2019, the team with the league's worst record had a 25.0 percent probability of winning the draft lottery. In 2014, the Cavaliers became one of the least likely lottery winners in NBA history, earning the No. 1 pick despite having a 1.7 percent chance of winning.

YearTeamNo. 1 Pick ProbabilitySelection
2021Pistons14.0%Cade Cunningham
2020Timberwolves14.0%Anthony Edwards
2019Pelicans6.0%Zion Williamson
2018Suns25.0%Deandre Ayton
201776ers (via Celtics)25.0%Markelle Fultz
201676ers25.0%Ben Simmons
2015Timberwolves25.0%Karl-Anthony Towns
2014Cavaliers1.7%Andrew Wiggins
2013Cavaliers15.6%Anthony Bennett
2012Hornets13.7%Anthony Davis