NBA Draft scenarios 2026: How Nets, Wizards, Pacers clinched best lottery odds in tank sweepstakes

The NBA’s race to the bottom wasn’t exactly heating up — for months, the league’s worst teams have been losing at historic rates.

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Commissioner Adam Silver has indicated over the 2025-26 campaign that soon, the league will be implementing new «anti-tanking» rules to more heavily penalize teams who are more focused on losing than winning games. But because those rules haven’t yet arrived, and the 2026 draft class is considered a strong one, there have been a lot of struggling franchises.

Among the non-playoff contenders, however, three teams are now set for the best chances at the 2026 No. 1 overall pick: the Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards. 

Here’s an updated look at the bottom of the NBA standings and which teams will have the best draft lottery odds.

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Who will get the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft?

No team will be officially awarded the No. 1 pick until the draft lottery on May 10, 2026. On that day, every non-playoff team (or teams who own a non-playoff team’s pick) will find out their fate and if the lottery worked in their favor.

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However, the NBA’s lottery odds system does give favor to the bottom-three teams in the league. There isn’t a special distinction for the worst record — having the fewest wins does no more good for a team than having the third-fewest wins. All three of the league’s worst teams get a 14.0% chance at winning the lottery and receiving the No. 1 overall pick.

After the regular season ended on Sunday, the Wizards, Pacers and Nets finished with the three worst records.

Records updated through Apr. 12 games.

• Washington Wizards (17-65)
• Indiana Pacers (19-63)
• Brooklyn Nets (20-62)
• Utah Jazz (22-60)
• Sacramento Kings (22-60)

The two teams who did not secure a bottom-three record, the Jazz and Kings, will receive a 11.5% chance at the No. 1 pick.

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NBA lottery odds 2026

Here are the full 2026 NBA Draft Lottery odds.

Updated through Play-In Tournament games, with odds now final.

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