NBA Draft Lottery live updates (2024)

The Atlanta Hawks, despite having a three percent chance, have won the 2024 NBA Draft lottery. Here is the full draft order.

1. Atlanta Hawks
2. Washington Wizards
3. Houston Rockets
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Detroit Pistons
6. Charlotte Hornets
7. Portland Trail Blazers
8. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto Raptors)
9. Memphis Grizzlies
10. Utah Jazz
11. Chicago Bulls
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Houston Rockets)
13. Sacramento Kings
14. Portland Trail Blazers (via Golden State Warriors)

The Pistons and Wizards had the best shot of earning the No. 1 pick. Detroit moves down for the third straight season.

Expect Edey to be available in the 20s, with the Pelicans possibly scooping him up at 21.

Edey was the best player in college basketball, averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and more than two blocks per game on his way to back-to-back National Player of the Year awards. He establishes position anywhere and everywhere on the court because of his size and strength, yet possesses remarkable touch around the rim. He’s somehow underrated in ball-screen actions. One could make the case that he’s the best screen-setter in the country with the way he consistently crushes guards trying to get through and rolls to the rim for deep post-ups or easy buckets. Edey has improved defensively over his time in college. He become a good, impactful drop-coverage pick-and-roll defender and takes up enough space to dissuade guard from driving and finishing around the basket.

The issue with his fit in the NBA are obvious: He’s a 7-4 supergiant who doesn’t move particularly well laterally. Can he stop ballhandlers from turning the corner on him defensively? Can he get back in transition in the up-and-down NBA?

The Pelicans might have a significant need at center with Jonas Valančiūnas hitting free agency. I’d rather have a center who can shoot from 3 next to Zion Williamson, but Edey is clearly the best big on the board at this point.

See the full mock draft here.

Devin Carter | 6-3 guard | 22 years old | Providence

Carter was one of the best players in college basketball this past season. The son of former NBA point guard Anthony Carter, Devin was terrific in the 2022-23 season after transferring from South Carolina but leapt to another level this past campaign.

His biggest jump this past season came on offense. After years of being a questionable shooter, Carter hit 37.7 percent of his nearly seven 3-point attempts per game. His shot is something of a moon ball that arcs high in the air before falling, but it went in this season. He averaged 19.7 points and 8.7 rebounds.

His NBA role projects as a 3-and-D guard who can do a little bit more. That’s a perfect player for the Heat around Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier and others in their backcourt. It also doesn’t hurt that Anthony Carter played four seasons for the Heat and was a player development coach with them for five seasons before being hired by the Grizzlies last year.

The Portland Trail Blazers have the 14th pick via the Golden State Warriors. Who is a likely fit at that point?

Tidjane Salaun | 6-9 wing/forward | 18 years old | Cholet

Salaun is a big forward with some perimeter skill. The 6-9 prospect has been productive in the French League and Basketball Champions League this season, averaging 9.5 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 32 percent from behind the 3-point line. He has a smooth stroke and also shows some upside handling the ball in transition.

Teams worry about Salaun’s feel for the game and overall skill level, but he’s enormous, plays hard and defends. I get the sense that team evaluators are higher on him than folks in the public. The Blazers love to take shots on upside, as shown by their run of picks under Joe Cronin’s front office, and Salaun would represent a big swing.

See the full mock draft here.

Isaiah Collier | 6-5 guard | 19 years old | USC

The Bulls are one of the tougher teams to figure out in the NBA. They have bigger issues to focus on this summer, including DeMar DeRozan’s free agency and Zach LaVine’s future.

So what will they do with their draft pick? Perhaps use the 11th slot to select USC star Isaiah Collier.

Collier is an impressive downhill athlete who lives in the paint and has the wherewithal to hit kickouts and dump-offs for assists. Despite his size and strength, he has not been an impactful defender in any way, struggling to stay in front of opposing guards and wings. There are still questions about his feel for the game and shooting ability. And yet, it’s hard to find players who live at the free-throw line and possess Collier’s sheer force and athleticism.

As USC closed the season as one of the better teams in the Pac-12, Collier averaged 18.7 points and 4.3 assists in his final seven games while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3. He was the bruising, powerful, bowling-ball-like driver we saw early in college and throughout his high school career, reaching the foul line to the tune of seven free-throw attempts per night.

See the full mock draft here.

Jared McCain | 6-3 guard | 20 years old | Duke

McCain was seen as a potential one-and-done lottery prospect entering the season, but a slow start made evaluators pause as they waited to see how he’d settle in. Over the last two-thirds of the season, McCain was one of the best freshman scorers in high-major college basketball. Starting with Duke’s Dec. 9 game against Charlotte, McCain averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists over his last 28 games. He made 41.6 percent of his 6.4 3-point attempts per game during that span and was consistently getting into the lane in transition or when driving closeouts. Many scouts see McCain being a high-level shooter even by NBA standards, often invoking Seth Curry’s name as a potential comparison.

The key for McCain will be showing he can impact games in other ways. He rebounds well for a small guard and makes good decisions, but there isn’t much margin for error for him considering he’s 6-3 and doesn’t possess a ton of length. The Kings might lose Malik Monk this summer in free agency. McCain would be a good get for this team with his ability to run and provide spacing around De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.

See the full mock draft here.

The Pistons should trade the No. 5 pick, and if they don’t, they must trade one of Jaden Ivey or Jalen Duren. Detroit’s abysmal season put them in a situation where it must be significantly better next year. As we just learned this year, it’s hard to do that relying on so many young players. Cade Cunningham’s campaign made it known that he could possibly be an All-Star player sooner rather than later, and the Pistons need to start getting more proven, competent players around him.

The No. 5 pick in this draft, I’ve been told by league execs, is viewed as picks 9-12 in a normal class. With that said, due to the lack of star power, rival teams could value No. 5 more than 2 or 3 because the talent gap isn’t that big and the salary is a few million dollars cheaper.

Matas Buzelis | 6-10 wing/forward | 19 years old | G League Ignite

The Pistons desperately need a four in their core, and Buzelis profiles well as a good fit next to Cade Cunningham as long as the team believes in his jumper.

His size, off-ball capabilities and athleticism with the ball in transition make him a high-upside swing in a draft class lacking in them. Bigger wings with somewhat similar profiles, such as Charlotte’s Brandon Miller, Memphis’ G.G. Jackson, Washington’s Bilal Coulibaly and Houston’s Cam Whitmore, put together promising rookie seasons while displaying skills they didn’t consistently showcase in their pre-draft seasons.

Still, Buzelis did not have an ideal pre-draft campaign playing on a catastrophically bad G League Ignite team that struggled to compete in games. He averaged 14.1 points per game but only shot 45.5 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from 3, though he upped those numbers to 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 blocks over his last 13 games. He also won some plaudits from scouts for his play in the Rising Stars event at All-Star Weekend, where he helped the G League team upset a roster of NBA rookies and sophom*ores that included Victor Wembanyama.

Zaccharie Risacher | 6-8 wing/forward | 19 years old | JL Bourg

The French wing has produced at a high level in EuroCup competition. Through May 10, he’s averaging 10.7 points across EuroCup and French League games while shooting 46 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from 3 and 71.9 percent from the free-throw line. He’s rebounding at a reasonable rate for a wing and has shown some passing and decision-making chops, but he’s in the middle of a serious downturn, having made just 22 percent of his 3s since Jan. 31. He has struggled to consistently make an impact in games since then.

The opinions NBA team and scouting personnel have shared with me on Risacher are all over the map. Some still view him as a contender for the No. 1 pick and attribute his downturn to fatigue from playing nearly 60 professional games already this season as a teenager. Others rank him closer to the middle of the top 10, while others view him more in the Nos. 8-12 range. The worry is Risacher might not have enough on-ball upside to warrant a top-five pick, even in this class.

Big wings with ball skills, shooting ability and off-ball defensive coverage, however, are hard to find. If you believe in Risacher’s jumper translating despite its recent downturn, his future has a pretty high floor.

See the full mock draft here.

Donovan Clingan | 7-2 center | 20 years old | Connecticut

Clingan is firmly in the mix, along with all of the players above him, to go No. 1. He was within the NBA’s top-six prospects in the memo to teams outlining who will be allowed access to his medical information.

He had a monster finish to his season, helping to lead Connecticut to the national title while averaging 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks over his last 18 games, including 16 points, 9.4 rebounds and three blocks per game in his last seven. After returning from ankle and foot injuries and getting back up to speed, he was one of the most dominant players in college basketball.

Using his enormous frame, Clingan shuts down the paint when he’s in the game. He moves well for his size and is elite in drop coverage defensively, stopping ballhandlers from turning the corner on him and getting to the rim. His ability to backpedal on-balance is rare for his size. When not defending the ball, he makes his presence felt when necessary.

The Rockets traded for Steven Adams in the spring, but the veteran center only has one year left on his deal. That trade could be taken as a sign that Rockets coach Ime Udoka wants to find a defensive difference-maker on the interior even with Alperen Şengün in the fold. The Rockets are extremely well-stocked with young players across the board, so this pick is a luxury with which they can take the highest impact player available.

See the full mock draft here.

Nikola Topić | 6-6 lead guard | 18 years old | Crvena zvezda

In 13 Adriatic League games for Mega Basket before his transfer to Crvena zvezda, Topić averaged 18.6 points and 6.9 assists while shooting 52.4 percent from the field. He’s a dynamic ball-screen distributor and consistently lives in the paint in the Adriatic League, which consists of teams from the six countries that once made up Yugoslavia. He can execute nearly every pass in the book once he gets a downhill advantage and hits teammates with flair and creativity. Topić also scores proficiently at the rim, using inventive touch to finish high off the glass and around rim protectors.

Scouts have consistently brought up two issues with Topić’s game: First, where is he as a shooter? He makes his free throws but is an inconsistent marksman from 3-point range. If he can’t make enough jumpers to keep defenses honest, how will that affect the rest of his game? The second question is whether he can get separation from NBA opponents who are quicker than the slower players who make up the Adriatic League. On the other hand, Topić may benefit from the wider spacing of an NBA game.

The Wizards have shown a willingness to go international under general manager Will Dawkins and need a point guard with Tyus Jones hitting free agency and not necessarily being a top-half-of-the-league starter.

See the full mock draft here.

Alex Sarr | 7-1 big | 19 years old | Perth Wildcats

Sarr emerged early in this draft cycle as a potential No. 1 pick. His performance against the G League Ignite in early September had scouts coming away believing he was the best prospect on the court.

Sarr is a difference-maker on defense who covers a ton of ground with his arms and quick feet, similar to bigs such as Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr., Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton. He flies around rotating off the ball and can handle himself in a variety of ball-screen coverages, ranging from switching to drop. If he’s waiting at the rim and opponents challenge him, odds are he’ll get contest the shot, if not outright block it.

The other end is the question. Sarr has shown potential as a rim runner in ball screens, but for the most part, his offensive game involves pick-and-pops, and he doesn’t make great screen contact. He’s not a high-impact defensive rebounder, which has led to some questioning if he can consistently play center in the NBA. If Sarr indeed requires a more physical center alongside him, his limited offensive game may be exposed. He’s best served playing next to a floor-spacing five, or he’d need to become a dangerous perimeter shooter himself.

The draft comes with lots of uncertainty and so did the lottery drawing. Seven teams had a chance at the No. 1 pick heading into the final draw. It came up 14 for the Hawks. The other contenders a number away:

Wizards (1)

Blazers (2)

Spurs (3)

Raptors (4)

Grizzlies (5)

Rockets (9)

A 15-win team like Washington has needs everywhere. But the Wizards' new front office, led by president of Monumental Basketball Michael Winger and General Manager Will Dawkins, covets positional length and players that have switchability. You need look no further than the Oklahoma City Thunder, where Dawkins spent 15 years in various front office roles before being hired by Washington last year, to see the kind of team Winger and Dawkins would like to build in D.C. They showed their intentions last season when they moved up one spot from eighth in the first round to seventh in a trade with the Pacers to be sure they could take 6-8 forward Bilal Coulibaly from France. They see significant long-term potential in Coulibaly.

With the second pick overall, the Wizards can certainly address their long-term needs in the middle by taking either of 7-1 French center Alexandre Sarr or Connecticut big man Donovan Clingan, depending on what the Hawks do with the first selection. But they could also look at lengthy forwards like France's 6-9 Zaccharie Risacher or Colorado’s 6-8 Cody Williams – who just happens to be the younger brother of Jalen Williams, the rising OKC star that Dawkins was instrumental in drafting in the first round in 2022.

And even though veteran Tyus Jones is an unrestricted free agent this summer and could leave, the Wizards could draft a potential replacement for him at No. 2 in 6-6 point guard Nikola Topić from Serbia.

The Wizards won’t have the first pick, but in this year’s draft, it isn’t considered a major loss to go second.

As I wrote on Friday, the Raptors losing their pick this year isn’t all that bad. If this class is as weak at the top as most experts are projecting, the value of having certainty going forward allows the Raptors to build with fewer variables hanging over them. (Had they kept the pick, the same protections would have remained for their 2025 and 2026 first-rounders. They also would not have been able to trade one of their own first-rounders until 2028.) By falling out of the top six, the San Antonio Spurs got the Raptors’ pick, which dropped two spots to eighth, completing the ill-conceived Jakob Poeltl trade.

The Raptors have the 19th-overall pick as part of the Pascal Siakam trade with the Indiana Pacers. The lack of lottery pick also means the Raptors could create more salary cap room in the offseason, if they choose to go that route.

Make no mistake: The Raptors need contributors on sub-mid-level contracts. A lottery pick would have been a crack at that. Still, not having this hanging over their head as they try to build around Scottie Barnes is a win of sorts.

Once again the basketball gods have punished the Detroit Pistons for being the worst team in the NBA.

This was the third time in four years that Detroit has had the best odds of landing the No. 1 pick, and outside of 2021, when the franchise won the NBA Draft Lottery and selected Cade Cunningham, it hasn’t been able to land a pick inside the top-three ever since.

By all accounts, talking to league executives, scouts and talent evaluators, the 2024 NBA Draft class is one of the least inspiring at the top in recent memory. There are concerns that whomever goes in the top-three spots won’t be worth the payday that comes with being the top choice over the duration of their rookie contract. There are concerns that whoever goes in that range could end up being as good as the players slotted to go in the late lottery. There are concerns that whoever goes in the top-three won’t be ready to contribute in a significant way immediately.

There are many around the NBA that I’ve talked to who see the No. 5 pick as the equivalent to the 10th to 12th pick in a normal draft class.

France’s Alexandre Sarr, the 19-year-old, 7-foot center out of the Australian National Basketball League appears to be the clubhouse leader to go No. 1 overall as of now. Names like Serbia’s Nikola Topić, Connecticut’s Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle, France’s Zaccharie Risacher and the G League Ignite’s Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland are all expected to be in the mix, too. While all are intriguing in their own right, Sarr isn’t even heralded like the top picks before him — not Cunningham, Paolo Banchero or Victor Wembanyama. Most people I’ve talked to see him comfortably below the likes of Evan Mobley, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith as a prospect.

With all that said, the Pistons should trade the No. 5 pick.

Read on to find out why.

This was pretty close to a best-case scenario for the Spurs, who both moved into the top 4 with their own pick and got the benefit of keeping the protected Toronto pick they acquired in 2023's Jakob Poeltl trade (San Antonio theoretically could have ended up with picks 1 and 7 in this draft in an absolute best-case scenario, but those were 1 in 30 odds.)

Merely hitting the Daily Double of both keeping the Toronto pick and moving into the top 4 with their pick was just a 1-in-5 proposition, and the Spurs cashed it. San Antonio will now pick fourth and eighth, relative to a worst-case scenario where they might have ended up with just a single pick at 9.