The 2011 NBA Draft order will be set on May 17, when the league holds its draft lottery in Seacaucus, N.J., to determine which bad teams can vault themselves to a top three pick. The No. 1 pick -- widely expected to be Duke point guard Kyrie Irving -- is the big prize, but with Arizona forward Derrick Williams and others available, teams will cross their fingers for a lucky bounce of the ping pong balls.
NBA Draft Lottery 2011: Timberwolves, Cavaliers Have Best Odds For Top Pick
Teams with worse records will have better chances. The following table lays out the odds for each team in the lottery. Only the top three picks of the draft are decided by lottery; beginning with No. 4, the draft moves from the worst team that didn’t win a top-3 pick on down the reverse standings. Because of that, the Timberwolves can pick no worse than No. 4.
| Team | No. 1 Pick | Top 3 Pick |
| Timberwolves | 25.0% | 64.3% |
| Cavaliers | 19.9% | 55.8% |
| Raptors | 15.6% | 46.9% |
| Wizards | 11.9% | 37.8% |
| Jazz (from Nets) | 7.6% | 25.4% |
| Kings | 7.5% | 25.3% |
| Pistons | 4.3% | 15.0% |
| Cavaliers (from Clippers) | 2.8% | 10.0% |
| Bobcats | 1.7% | 6.1% |
| Bucks | 1.1% | 4.0% |
| Warriors | 0.8% | 2.9% |
| Jazz | 0.7% | 2.5% |
| Suns | 0.6% | 2.2% |
| Rockets | 0.5% | 1.8% |
The Jazz and Kings at No. 6 and No. 7 could actually flip based on a coin toss later this week, as the Nets (who are giving their pick to Utah) finished with the same record as Sacramento.
The NBA Draft Lottery will be held May 17.
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