With the 2021 NBA Draft lottery taking place Tuesday night, a few teams walk away as huge winners. On the other side of it, there were some big losers from the 2021 NBA Draft lottery. Find out who fell on which side of the fence below. Additionally, make sure to check out our player scouting reports here.
You can find the entire NBA Draft order here.
Winner: Detroit Pistons
First on the lists of winners is the obvious winner, the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons are quickly assembling a talented young group of players and now have the opportunity to take their pick of who they want to join their group out of all the prospects in this year’s draft class. Picking first is an obvious advantage and the Pistons have to be excited to make their selection.
Their choice is likely to be Cade Cunningham, whose scouting report can be found here. He will join a promising group already including Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey, among others.
Check out our Detroit Pistons season recap.
Loser: Chicago Bulls
The Bulls needed a bit of luck to not be included in the 2021 NBA Draft lottery losers. They didn’t get that luck. They were set to owe their first-round selection to the Orlando Magic unless the pick landed in the top four selections, due to the Nikola Vucevic trade at last season’s trade deadline.
The pick did not land in the top four, meaning it conveys to the Magic. The Bulls would love to have the ability to add top-tier young talent to their top-heavy roster. They didn’t get the luck needed, though, so the Bulls won’t be picking until the 38th overall selection in the draft.
Check out our Chicago Bulls season recap.
Winner: Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are barely removed from an NBA Championship and appear on a quick path to rebuilding their roster. They found some lottery luck when they moved up to the fourth overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft lottery. The Raptors entered the lottery projected to pick seventh overall.
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Moving up three spots will be huge as they look to improve their roster ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. Kyle Lowry is expected to leave in free agency and the Raptors may be able to find their point guard of the future with the fourth overall selection.
Check out our Toronto Raptors season recap.
Loser: Minnesota Timberwolves
It’s hard to label the Timberwolves as losers in the draft lottery after they won the rights to the first overall selection just one year ago. Still, they have no lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft thanks to the D’Angelo Russell trade with the Golden State Warriors a few years back. They have a promising young group in place but would have loved another top tree pick this season.
The Timberwolves needed the pick to land in the top three in order for it to not be sent to the Warriors. It wound up being the seventh overall selection, meaning the Warriors own the rights to the pick. That means the Timberwolves have no draft picks in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Check out our Minnesota Timberwolves season recap.
Winner: Golden State Warriors
Speaking of the Warriors, they are an obvious pick for winners from the 2021 NBA Draft lottery. In addition to their own selection at fourteenth overall, they also get the already discussed seventh overall pick from the Timberwolves. The options are endless for the Warriors front office with their two lottery selections.
Golden State will be adding to a roster already featuring studs Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. They also have last year’s second overall selection, James Wiseman.
Check out our Golden State Warriors season recap.
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