#draft-lottery

#draft-lottery

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 21-1 and the prohibitive favorite to repeat as NBA champions this year; they also might improve dramatically this offseason. That is because the Thunder own outright the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round pick in the 2026 draft. The dark provenance of that pick is a 2019 trade between these teams in which the Thunder shed Paul George and acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the rare "future podcaster" to "future MVP" upgrade.

Rebuilding Brooklyn is just 1-11, entering the weekend tied with the Wizards and Pacers for the worst record in the NBA, and the best odds in the lottery. That makes Sunday's tilt huge for the tank. A victory would be Pyrrhic. Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin (8) goes to the basket against Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) during the first quarter at Kia Center. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While they have almost certainly lost any chance of getting the second best odds and are 3.0 games back of the third best odds, they maintain some separation between the teams "behind" them and remain with the fourth best odds. There is a fairly significant drop-off from the fourth best odds to the fifth, and certainly to the seventh, so that would be a good position to stay in for the rest of the season.

The 2025 MLB Draft will take place on July 13 at 3 p.m. PT, as part of All-Star Week in Atlanta, featuring the first three rounds and two competitive balance rounds.

Entering the night, they had a 3.5% chance of getting that top pick. This is not considered an overly strong draft, but Schaefer, Misa, and Hagens are...