Three Teams That Could Land NBA's No. 1 Pick: Where Will Cooper Flagg Be Drafted?

Painful. Depressing. Boring.

There are plenty of adjectives to describe watching your favorite NBA team tank in hopes of winning the first overall pick in the next draft lottery.

Any sliver of optimism you had before the season is gone by Thanksgiving. Your team is at home on Christmas, just like you, because those showcase games are reserved for squads that are actually watchable.

March Madness rekindles your passion for basketball just enough to get you through April as the misery finally ends.

But hope returns in May. 

The draft lottery gives one lucky franchise first dibs at the potential savior it desperately needs. And after all the suffering you’ve endured over the past six-plus months, you know that no team and no fanbase deserves that top pick more than yours. This is your year.

Of course, the lottery and its randomness don’t care about who deserves it most. But with that said, here are three teams that will certainly be in the mix when the top overall pick is drawn next year on May 12.

Washington Wizards

I know it’s a longshot, but I really would not be surprised if the Washington Commanders finish with more wins in their 17 regular-season games than the Wizards do throughout 82 contests on the hardwood.

Washington went 15-67 last year and enters the new campaign with a cast of raw, young players who will take their share of lumps amid what will likely be another long season in the nation’s capital.

No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr has much to prove after the 7-footer struggled in the Las Vegas Summer League, while fellow rookies Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George will aim to become reliable shooters as they settle into the pros.

Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon are at least respectable additions that will join returning veterans Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole. Brogdon will miss at least the start of the season after having surgery on his thumb, but that really doesn’t make much of a difference. Maybe the Wizards will only win 12 games instead of 13.

There’s a decent chance that Brogdon, Valanciunas and Kuzma will be traded mid-season, leaving Poole behind to steer the tank toward another lottery pick. 

Brooklyn Nets

Coming off a 32-50 campaign, the Nets have plenty of incentive to tank aside from a roster that doesn’t quite scream Eastern Conference title contender.

In addition to its own first-round pick, Brooklyn owns a top-4 protected pick from Milwaukee. That means the Nets will receive the Bucks’ selection as long as Milwaukee’s draft slot falls between Nos. 5 and 30. Given that the Bucks have made the playoffs in each of the last eight seasons, it’s a pretty safe bet that Brooklyn will land that pick. 

The Nets also own the New York Knicks’ first-round selection, regardless of where that falls, and will receive an additional first-round pick from either the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets or Phoenix Suns.

As for the current squad, Brooklyn already traded Mikal Bridges to the Knicks and will likely deal solid veterans like Cameron Johnson, Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith during the season. If you couldn’t tell, the commitment to winning is low.

Even if Ben Simmons finally delivers a strong campaign amid his treacherous tenure so far with the Nets, Brooklyn should be well-situated to potentially win the coveted top pick come May.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz committed to All-Star Lauri Markkanen by way of a 5-year, $238 million extension, but Utah remains riddled with inexperience. 

The roster includes six teenagers, and competing in the powerful Western Conference will only steepen the learning curve for the young cast of contributors. The Jazz finished 31-51 last season and should endure another lean year as its youth develops. 

Utah already owns both the Minnesota Timberwolves’ and Cleveland Cavaliers’ first-round picks. The Jazz will keep another first-rounder if they slot within the top 10 in the draft order, so there’s really no reason to try and overachieve. 

A playoff berth is essentially off the table, so why not tank and try to secure the top overall pick for the first time in franchise history?