The 2016 NBA Draft order will be determined at the lottery on Tuesday night prior to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Philadelphia 76ers are hoping to come away big winners after yet another dreadful season.
NBA Draft Lottery live stream: How to watch the selection show online
The lottery will be held prior to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night.
The Sixers finished a league-worst 10-72 this season, giving them a 25 percent chance of earning the No. 1 pick. The team with the worst record has only come away with the top pick four times, although one of those occasions was last year when the Minnesota Timberwolves won and selected Karl-Anthony Towns, who was just named unanimous Rookie of the Year.
Even if the Sixers don't cash in with their own pick, they have an outside chance of winning the lottery another way. Philadelphia has the right to swap picks with the Sacramento Kings due to the Nik Stauskas trade last summer, so if the Kings win the lottery despite having just a 1.9 percent chance of doing so, the Sixers will exercise the pick swap and get the top choice.
Additionally, the Sixers could end up with two high selections depending on what happens to the Los Angeles Lakers' top-three protected pick. The Steve Nash trade several years ago first sent the pick to the Phoenix Suns, but it now goes to Philly if it winds up outside the top three due to the three-team deal that sent Michael Carter-Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks and Brandon Knight to Phoenix. The Sixers have a 44.2 percent chance of getting the pick from Los Angeles, but the Lakers still have the second-best odds of earning the top pick at 19.9 percent.
The Boston Celtics have the third-best odds of winning the lottery at 15.6 percent. The Celtics, who finished fifth in the Eastern Conference this year, are the lucky owners of a high pick because of the blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets that saw Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce change teams.
The Suns have the fourth-best odds of winning the lottery at 11.9 percent, while the Timberwolves under new president and head coach Tom Thibodeau have an 8.8 percent shot of adding the top pick. If Minnesota wins the lottery, the team will have three No. 1 picks on board.
Thibodeau's former team, the Chicago Bulls, have the worst odds in the lottery, as they have a minuscule 0.5 percent chance of obtaining the No. 1 pick.
How to watch online
Date and time: Tuesday, May 17, 8 p.m. ET
Online: WatchESPN
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