Wizards

Wizards' draft lottery odds depend on Spurs

Wizards

With the regular season wrapping up on Sunday, the Wizards currently hold the 10th-best odds in the May 17 NBA Draft Lottery, but could move into 9th depending on how the San Antonio Spurs fare in the play-in tournament.

If the Spurs win two straight games, they would advance to the playoffs and out of the lottery. That would give the Wizards the 9th-best odds. The Spurs play at the Pelicans on Wednesday night at 9:30 p.m. ET.  

If the Wizards stay at 10, they will have a 3% chance at picking first overall and 13.9% odds of landing in the top-4. Ninth would yield a 4.5% chance of No. 1 and 20.3% for the top-4. Selecting in the top-4 would mean the choice between Jabari Smith, Jaden Ivey, Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren. 

Related: 2022 NBA Mock Draft 6.0: Keegan Murray cracks top five

The Wizards' lottery status was determined after they lost to the Hornets and the Spurs lost to the Mavericks. It was the third consecutive loss for Washington, which finished the season with a 35-47 record. They were 12th in the Eastern Conference.

The Spurs went 34-48, with one more loss than the Wizards, but still made the play-in tournament as the 10th-seed in the West. The East has proven to be unusually deep this season. The 10-seed in the East, the Hornets, went 43-39. Just last season, the Wizards were the 8-seed at four games under .500.

 

If the Spurs beat the Pelicans, they have to play the loser of the Clippers and Timberwolves. The team that wins that game advances to the playoffs and gives up its spot in the lottery.

The lottery will have the Rockets, Magic and Pistons tied for the best odds to get the No. 1 overall pick, each with a 14% chance.Â