How does picking in the NBA draft work?

[Nocturnal]

I keep hearing about a lottery however I have heard in the past that the team with the crappiest record of the season gets to choose first.

What's the truth and how does it work?

I often see teams trading for the #1 pick of the draft and or trading for a player and a round 1 draft pick.

How does it all work?

 

[95SS]

The lottery is made up of the teams that did not make the playoffs in the previous season. The top three spots are determined by the lottery, with the remainder of the spots going in descending order based on the team's record. The actual lottery consists of four seperate numbered (0-9) ping pong balls being drawn, and the team that has those balls in order gets the pick that is being drawn for. Teams are assigned random four digit numbers prior to this, with the team that had the worst record getting 25% of the possible combinations, down to the team with the best record that did not make the playoffs getting 0.5% of the combinations. The lottery used to be different, one ball was drawn for each spot (still 1-3),with the worst team getting 11 (at the time) ping pong balls and the "best team" getting one. But after Orlando won the lottery from the 11 spot, it was changed to weight it towards the teams with the worse records.

 

[cronos]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
I keep hearing about a lottery however I have heard in the past that the team with the crappiest record of the season gets to choose first.

What's the truth and how does it work?

i think the lottery is for three or four teams with the worst records.

I often see teams trading for the #1 pick of the draft and or trading for a player and a round 1 draft pick.

How does it all work?

if the term '#1 pick of the draft' implies 'overall' #1, or the first player picked by any team that year, in the first case, the first team gave something up to the second team, in return for picking 1st overall. which can only happen if the second team already have that priviledge (via lottery in the question above).

in the second case, the first team gave something up to the second team, in return for a player, and whatever pick order the second team has in the first round. so when the draft day come and it's the second team's turn to pick in the first round, the first team make their pick instead.

 

[jst0ney]

Originally posted by: 95SS
The lottery is made up of the teams that did not make the playoffs in the previous season. The top three spots are determined by the lottery, with the remainder of the spots going in descending order based on the team's record. The actual lottery consists of four seperate numbered (0-9) ping pong balls being drawn, and the team that has those balls in order gets the pick that is being drawn for. Teams are assigned random four digit numbers prior to this, with the team that had the worst record getting 25% of the possible combinations, down to the team with the best record that did not make the playoffs getting 0.5% of the combinations. The lottery used to be different, one ball was drawn for each spot (still 1-3),with the worst team getting 11 (at the time) ping pong balls and the "best team" getting one. But after Orlando won the lottery from the 11 spot, it was changed to weight it towards the teams with the worse records.

The magic got two in a row. How sweet is that?

 

[95SS]

Originally posted by: jst0ney

Originally posted by: 95SS
The lottery is made up of the teams that did not make the playoffs in the previous season. The top three spots are determined by the lottery, with the remainder of the spots going in descending order based on the team's record. The actual lottery consists of four seperate numbered (0-9) ping pong balls being drawn, and the team that has those balls in order gets the pick that is being drawn for. Teams are assigned random four digit numbers prior to this, with the team that had the worst record getting 25% of the possible combinations, down to the team with the best record that did not make the playoffs getting 0.5% of the combinations. The lottery used to be different, one ball was drawn for each spot (still 1-3),with the worst team getting 11 (at the time) ping pong balls and the "best team" getting one. But after Orlando won the lottery from the 11 spot, it was changed to weight it towards the teams with the worse records.

The magic got two in a row. How sweet is that?

Sweet enough to see Shaq get schooled by Hakeem in the 95 Finals.😛