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The NBA uses a lottery system to determine the first half of its draft order each year.
Unlike the NFL, which uses the inverse of the previous season's final standings, the NBA uses a lottery system that ranks the 14 worst teams by record and assigns each a percentage to determine the No. 1 overall pick. Each of the worst three teams receives the same odds to win the No. 1 pick, and the rest of the 11 remaining teams' odds are staggered, getting worse and worse, so that the 14th worst team has the lowest odds to earn the top pick.
The NBA draft lottery has been a hot topic recently because last year the Dallas Mavericks had only a 1.8% chance of the top pick, yet was awarded it and brought in their Luka Doncic replacement in Cooper Flagg.
Here is an updated look at the 2026 NBA Draft lottery standings, as teams hope to earn the No. 1 overall pick.
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NBA Draft lottery standings
*Accurate as of the end of games on April 8.
| Pick | Team | Record |
| 1. | Wizards | 17-62 |
| 2. | Pacers | 18-61 |
| 3. | Nets | 20-59 |
| 4. | Jazz | 21-59 |
| 5. | Kings | 21-59 |
| 6. | Grizzlies | 25-55 |
| 7. | Mavericks | 25-55 |
| 8. | Hawks (via Pelicans) | 26-54 |
| 9. | Bulls | 30-49 |
| 10. | Bucks | 31-49 |
| 11. | Warriors | 37-42 |
| 12. | Trail Blazers | 40-40 |
| 13. | Heat | 41-38 |
| 14. | Hornets | 43-37 |
MORE: Tracking 2026 NBA Award eligibility
NBA lottery odds 2026
Here's a closer look at how the odds to land the No. 1 pick and a top-four pick break down.
*Accurate as of the end of games on April 8.
| Pick | Team | No. 1 pick odds | Top 4 pick odds |
| 1. | Wizards | 14.0% | 52.1% |
| 2. | Pacers | 14.0% | 52.1% |
| 3. | Nets | 14.0% | 52.1% |
| 4. | Jazz | 11.5% | 45.2% |
| 5. | Kings | 11.5% | 45.2% |
| 6. | Grizzlies | 8.3% | 34.8% |
| 7. | Mavericks | 8.2% | 34.4% |
| 8. | Hawks (via Pelicans) | 6.0% | 26.3% |
| 9. | Bulls | 4.5% | 20.3% |
| 10. | Bucks | 3.0% | 13.9% |
| 11. | Warriors | 2.0% | 9.4% |
| 12. | Trail Blazers | 1.5% | 7.1% |
| 13. | Heat | 1.0% | 4.8% |
| 14. | Hornets | 0.5% | 2.4% |
Under the balanced NBA Draft lottery system, finishing with the league's worst record gives a team only a 14 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick. The teams with the worst three records all have 14% odds of securing the top pick, with No. 4 (11.5%) and No. 5 (11.5%) not far behind.
For now, the Wizards, Pacers and Nets are all tied with the best odds to be awarded the first overall pick, with the Jazz and Kings not far behind.
Last year, there was a controversy because the Mavericks earned the No. 1 pick, which they used to select Flagg, despite having only a 1.8% chance. This year, that would rank 12th.
MORE: Why did Draymond Green accuse the Kings of blatantly cheating?
NBA mock draft 2026
Here's a look at the mocked lottery picks from Sporting News' Steph Noh, whose latest mock draft came after the end of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. It is worth noting that the draft order could vary from the current standings.
| Pick | Team | Player | School |
| 1. | Wizards | AJ Dybantsa | BYU |
| 2. | Nets | Cameron Boozer | Duke |
| 3. | Pacers | Darryn Peterson | Kansas |
| 4. | Jazz | Caleb Wilson | North Carolina |
| 5. | Kings | Darius Acuff Jr. | Arkansas |
| 6. | Mavericks | Kingston Flemings | Houston |
| 7. | Hawks (from Pelicans) | Keaton Wagler | Illinois |
| 8. | Grizzlies | Brayden Burries | Arizona |
| 9. | Bulls | Yaxel Lendeborg | Michigan |
| 10. | Bucks | Mikel Brown Jr. | Louisville |
| 11. | Warriors | Jayden Quaintance | Kentucky |
| 12. | Hornets | Nate Ament | Tennessee |
| 13. | Heat | Aday Mara | Michigan |
| 14. | Grizzlies (from Magic) | Koa Peat | Arizona |
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