NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum speaks during the second round of ... [+]
As the close of the 2020-21 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers were tied with the fourth-worst record in the league at 22-50. This resulted in a tie for the fourth-highest lottery odds for the upcoming draft.
On Tuesday afternoon, this tiebreaker as well as all others around the league were broken. As first reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, the drawings were conducted using a standard lottery machine with team-identified ping pong balls, overseen by a representative of Ernst & Young, LLP. Teams would be informed of the results shortly after the drawings were completed and the drawings would air on NBA TV later that night.
Givony would later break the news that the Thunder had won the tiebreaker over the Cavs, giving them the fourth-best overall odds.
The final draft lottery odds are as follows:
- Houston Rockets
- Detroit Pistons
- Orlando Magic
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Toronto Raptors
- Chicago Bulls
- Sacramento Kings
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Charlotte Hornets
- San Antonio Spurs
- Indiana Pacers
- Golden State Warriors
It’s worth noting that both the Thunder and Cavaliers now have a 11.5 percent chance at landing the top pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Tuesday’s drawing was to simply to determine who gets the better pick in the event that both teams fall outside of the top-four of the actual draft order. This will be determined in the official draft lottery where actual pick placement will be unfold.
Draft Lottery Odds via Tankathon
With that in mind, both teams still have an equal shot at picks one through four, but OKC will have the advantage beyond that. Furthermore, the Thunder’s draft floor has been elevated, with the worst-case scenario being the eighth overall pick, with that only having a small percent chance of happening. Oklahoma City will have a 97.6 percent chance of their own pick falling within the top seven.
Additionally, if the Houston Rockets’ pick falls to No. 5, the Thunder will obtain that as well. That pick has a 47.9 percent chance of being conveyed to Oklahoma City.
Overall, while developing their young players and getting them plenty of court time, the Oklahoma City Thunder were able to also get great draft positioning.
Final draft positioning will be decided on June 22.
