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The NBA's race to the bottom wasn't exactly heating up — for months, the league's worst teams have been losing at historic rates.
Commissioner Adam Silver has indicated over the 2025-26 campaign that soon, the league will be implementing new "anti-tanking" rules to more heavily penalize teams who are more focused on losing than winning games. But because those rules haven't yet arrived, and the 2026 draft class is considered a strong one, there have been a lot of struggling franchises.
Among the non-playoff contenders, however, three teams are now set for the best chances at the 2026 No. 1 overall pick: the Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards.
Here's an updated look at the bottom of the NBA standings and which teams will have the best draft lottery odds.
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Who will get the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft?
No team will be officially awarded the No. 1 pick until the draft lottery on May 10, 2026. On that day, every non-playoff team (or teams who own a non-playoff team's pick) will find out their fate and if the lottery worked in their favor.
However, the NBA's lottery odds system does give favor to the bottom-three teams in the league. There isn't a special distinction for the worst record — having the fewest wins does no more good for a team than having the third-fewest wins. All three of the league's worst teams get a 14.0% chance at winning the lottery and receiving the No. 1 overall pick.
After the regular season ended on Sunday, the Wizards, Pacers and Nets finished with the three worst records.
Records updated through Apr. 12 games.
- Washington Wizards (17-65)
- Indiana Pacers (19-63)
- Brooklyn Nets (20-62)
- Utah Jazz (22-60)
- Sacramento Kings (22-60)
The two teams who did not secure a bottom-three record, the Jazz and Kings, will receive a 11.5% chance at the No. 1 pick.
MORE: Tracking the updated NBA playoff picture, projected matchups
NBA lottery odds 2026
Based on the NBA standings, here is how the draft lottery odds would be projected. The bottom of the lottery odds will be officially decided by which teams lose in the Play-In Tournament.
Updated through Apr. 12 games.
| No. 1 Pick Odds | Team | Record |
| 14.0% | Wizards | 17-65 |
| 14.0% | Pacers | 19-63 |
| 14.0% | Nets | 20-62 |
| 11.5% | Jazz | 22-60 |
| 11.5% | Kings | 22-60 |
| 8.3% | Grizzlies | 25-57 |
| 8.2% | Hawks (via Pelicans) | 26-56 |
| 6.0% | Mavericks | 26-56 |
| 4.5% | Bulls | 31-51 |
| 3.0% | Bucks | 32-50 |
| 2.0% | Warriors | 37-44 |
| 1.5% | Thunder (via Clippers) | 42-40 |
| 1.0% | Heat | 43-39 |
| 0.5% | Hornets | 44-38 |
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