After a season of losing, or as people like to call it, tanking, the teams finishing at the bottom of the league have something exciting to look forward to — the Draft Lottery. It determines the order in which they will make their picks in the upcoming NBA Draft.
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The lower a team finishes, the higher their chances of landing the No. 1 pick. But much to the agony of teams like the Utah Jazz and the Washington Wizards, it was the 10th-seeded Dallas Mavericks who ended up getting the top pick in 2025. And they just had a 1.8% chance to land it. Something indeed smelled fishy.
There was talk of favoritism, with the likes of Hall of Famer Dwayne Wade, who owns the Jazz, suggesting foul play. He simply couldn’t believe that Utah, with a 14% chance, only got a shot to pick number five. Gilbert Arenas agrees.
Arenas stated that new owners in this league are rewarded with better Draft picks in return for making sacrifices that the top brass sees as necessary for the larger picture. And the latest team in the NBA to have new owners? It’s going to be the Boston Celtics.
Let’s take a look at the Mavs first. In 2023, Mark Cuban sold his majority shares to the Adelson family and has since pretty much lost control over decisions. In February, with GM Nico Harrison as the scapegoat, superstar Luka Doncic got traded to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.
And just a few months later, they get a shot at the number one pick, which presents them with the golden opportunity to get college sensation Cooper Flagg on board.
Getting back to the Celtics, they are on the verge of a $6.1 billion takeover led by an investment group headed by Bill Chisholm. So, could Boston fans expect some major moves in the coming years? Maybe, yes. And Arenas discussed this on an episode of Gil’s Arena.
“Let’s just say, Jaylen Brown decides to miss all of next year,” Arenas said with a laugh. “They play real bad…”
Arenas pointed out that with Jayson Tatum already sidelined long-term with a torn Achilles, Jaylen Brown sitting out would almost certainly signal a tank. However, the former Golden State Warriors guard added that he believes Utah will land the No. 1 pick next season — perhaps as compensation for missing out in 2025.
Brandon Jennings, on the other hand, feels it will be Boston. He feels that AJ Dybansta from BYU, who is expected to be a part of the Draft class in 2026 and also the number one pick, will head over to the Celtics. “I think they [the Celtics] are going to end up with that number one pick,” said Jennings.
Arenas added to that prediction by talking about Victor Wembanyama’s 2023 Draft selection by the San Antonio Spurs.
“Y’all really thought Wemby was gonna go where? Charlotte? Detroit? No, no. He ended up exactly where he was supposed to end up. Someone who knows how to take care of number one pick bigs,” added Arenas, who, along with Jennings, sparked a lot of talk about the lottery being rigged.
But an even bigger NBA star — literally — has hinted at the draft lottery being preordained more than once.
Shaquille O’Neal’s shocking NBA draft revelation
Shaquille O’Neal says what he wants, when he wants. And, with his playing days behind him, he doesn’t have to worry much about fines or repercussions.
So, when he sat down with Ashley Nevel to talk about the NBA Draft possibly being rigged, he took a trip down memory lane — back to 1992, when he was the projected number one pick. According to Shaq, then-commissioner David Stern had asked him before the lottery whether he preferred playing somewhere hot or cold.
Shaq was stunned, and so was Nevel. But he did have a preference, and he picked warmer weather.
“He smiled and I smiled,” Shaq recalled. “And then a couple of days later, they had that draft thing, and you know, the top three picks — Minnesota was number three… Charlotte was number two… and then Orlando, Florida, was number one.”
And sure enough, it was the Magic who drafted O’Neal first overall, sending him to the Sunshine State. He got his wish — and maybe even a little more. Because if Shaq’s story is true, it’s clear that the draft lottery might not be so random.
