Portland Faces Unfortunate Circumstances Prior to Draft Lottery

Earlier today, the Portland Trail Blazers faced a setback in their quest for the top pick in the upcoming NBA draft this summer. The Athletic’s Casey Hodahl reported that despite both the Charlotte Hornets and the Trail Blazers finishing with identical 21-61 records in the 2023-24 season, the Hornets won the tiebreaker in a coin toss. This gives the Hornets a slightly better chance, at 13.3%, compared to the Trail Blazers’ 13.2%, of securing the coveted No. 1 pick.

Additionally, Portland holds the Golden State Warriors’ lottery pick, which is protected within the top four selections. According to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report, the Warriors lost their own coin toss with the Sacramento Kings, positioning them closer to the bottom of the lottery with the 13th and 14th picks. Both the Kings and the Warriors missed the playoffs after falling short in the play-in tournament, with identical 46-36 records. Consequently, the Kings now have a slightly enhanced opportunity to move into the top four picks of the lottery.

The Trail Blazers are in need of assistance, boasting a promising array of young talents alongside two tradable veteran contracts in Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams III. However, no definitive future All-Star has emerged from their ranks yet. The hope remains that they may discover such a player in June. Yet, the priority is maximizing their chances of landing a future star, ideally on a rookie-scale contract, by acquiring as many lottery picks as possible.