The Portland Trail Blazers’ already slim chances of selecting Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg with the top pick in June’s NBA draft took a minor hit on Monday.
The NBA broke two ties within the lottery field through random drawings, one of which involved the Blazers (36-46) and the Phoenix Suns (36-46), tied for the ninth-worst record in the NBA.
The Suns won the drawing, which means the Blazers will have a 3.7% chance of picking No. 1 and a 16.9% chance of leaping into the top four.
The lottery will take place on May 12.
The Suns will have a 3.8% chance of winning the No. 1 pick and a 17.3% chance of picking in the top four.
However, the Suns’ selection belongs to Houston, which acquired the pick from Brooklyn, which got it from Phoenix in the 2023 trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Suns.
When there isn’t a tie, the team with the No. 9 odds would have a 4.5% chance at the No. 1 pick and 20.3% at the top four. The team at No. 10 would have a 3% shot at No. 1 and a 13.9% chance at jumping into the top four.
One other tiebreaker was settled within the lottery. Dallas (39-43) won its tiebreaker over Chicago (39-43). The Mavericks will have the 11th-best lottery odds (1.8% chance at No. 1) and Chicago, 12th (1.7%).
BLAZERS’ RECENT LOTTERY HISTORY
2024: The Blazers entered the lottery with the fifth-best odds (10.5%) at picking No. 1 and ended up at No. 7, where they selected center Donovan Clingan.
2023: The Blazers also had the fifth-best odds (10.5%), but jumped to No. 3, where they selected point guard Scoot Henderson.
2022: The Blazers had the fifth-best odds (9%) and fell back a spot to No. 7, where they took guard Shaedon Sharpe.
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)
