2021 NBA Draft Lottery Odds, Predictions

- While the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, there are 14 teams whose summer will be greatly affected by some ping-pong balls at the NBA Draft Lottery!
- The Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, and Orlando Magic have the joint best odds to win the first overall pick.
- We will see the new weighted odds for the NBA Draft Lottery for the second straight season.
The premier summer event for the NBA is the NBA Playoffs and the eventual NBA Finals. However, for the teams that didn’t make the post-season cut, their focus will be on the ping pong balls that will drop and determine the selection order for the upcoming NBA Draft.
This will be the 37th iteration of the NBA Draft Lottery, which will determine the selection order for the first 14 picks of the 2021 NBA Draft. The remaining 16 selections are set in inverse order of each team’s finish through the 2020-2021 NBA season.
Each “Lottery Team” will have a representative attending the NBA Draft Lottery.
Bet on the NBA Draft Lottery Here!
Who Has the Best Odds to Win the Number One Overall Pick?
The NBA Draft Lottery’s odds are based on the participating teams’ final record through the most recent NBA season.
While in the past the odds have been descending in favor of the team with the worst record in the league, the NBA has implemented a new weighted odds system in order to level out chances and discourage “tanking”.
The latest odds for the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery are provided by BetMGM. Click on ‘Bet now’ below to head to the sportsbook and place your bet.
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No 1 Overall Pick NBA Draft Lottery Odds
Team | Odds for No. 1 |
Houston Rockets | +550 BET NOW |
Detroit Pistons | +550 BET NOW |
Orlando Magic | +550 BET NOW |
Oklahoma City Thunder | +650 BET NOW |
Cleveland Cavaliers | +650 BET NOW |
Minnesota Timberwolves | +900 BET NOW |
Toronto Raptors | +1100 BET NOW |
Sacramento Kings | +1600 BET NOW |
Chicago Bulls | +1600 BET NOW |
New Orleans Pelicans | +1600 BET NOW |
Charlotte Hornets | +4000 BET NOW |
San Antonio Spurs | +5000 BET NOW |
Indiana Pacers | +8000 BET NOW |
Golden State Warriors | +15000 BET NOW |
Weighted Odds for No 1 Overall Pick
Team | Weighted Odds for No. 1 Overall Pick |
Houston Rockets | 14.00% |
Detroit Pistons | 14.00% |
Orlando Magic | 14.00% |
Oklahoma City Thunder | 11.50% |
Cleveland Cavaliers | 11.50% |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 9.00% |
Toronto Raptors | 7.50% |
Sacramento Kings | 4.50% |
Chicago Bulls | 4.50% |
New Orleans Pelicans | 4.50% |
Charlotte Hornets | 1.80% |
San Antonio Spurs | 1.70% |
Indiana Pacers | 1.00% |
Golden State Warriors | 0.50% |
2021 NBA Draft Lottery Predictions
Best of the Worst
The Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, and Charlotte Hornets all own some of the worst odds to jump up the draft board. The Hornets have the best chance for a top four pick, at just 8.5%. We wouldn’t count on any of these teams to jump the board and stick to their 11-14 range.
Looking to Jump the Line
While all teams are looking to jump the line in terms of draft order, the Toronto Raptors and the Minnesota Timberwolves are the most interesting cases.
For Toronto, they own a 31.9% chance of jumping into the top four, while clearing seventh overall means they’re guaranteed the slot.
The Minnesota Timberwolves really need to find themselves in the top three.
The reason for their desperation is the fact that their first-round draft pick will be conveyed to the Golden State Warriors should it fall outside of the top three picks.
In the 2020 NBA Draft the Chicago Bulls, who sat in the Toronto Raptors’ position jumped up to fourth overall. The New York Knicks, who sat in the Timberwolves position in 2020, fell to eighth.
Top of the Pack
Between the Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, and Orlando Magic, feel free to put a wager on any of these teams finishing in the top three of the 2021 NBA Draft.
The three teams have the highest odds to finish in the top three of the 2021 NBA Draft, but be wary of the Houston Rockets. The Rockets have a 52.1% chance of a top-four pick, but a 47.9% chance of dropping all the way to fifth.
When Is the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery?
The 2021 NBA Draft Lottery will be occurring on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021.
The event will be televised on ESPN at 8:30 PM EST.
Who Is Participating in the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery?
There will be 14 teams participating in the NBA Draft Lottery.
These teams did not qualify for the most recent NBA post-season, or they acquired the rights to a higher pick. The participants are as follows:
Team | Conference | 20-21 Regular Season Record |
Houston Rockets | West | 17-55 |
Detroit Pistons | East | 20-52 |
Orlando Magic | East | 21-51 |
Oklahoma City Thunder | West | 22-50 |
Cleveland Cavaliers | East | 22-50 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | West | 23-49 |
Toronto Raptors | East | 27-45 |
Sacramento Kings | West | 31-41 |
Chicago Bulls | East | 31-41 |
New Orleans Pelicans | West | 31-41 |
Charlotte Hornets | East | 33-39 |
San Antonio Spurs | West | 33-39 |
Indiana Pacers | East | 34-38 |
Golden State Warriors | West | 39-33 |
Bet on the NBA Draft Lottery Here!
Who Is Representing Each Team at the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery?
Each team at the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery will have a representative through the process.
These representatives are usually affiliates of the club who represent the teams’ future desires and act as somewhat of a good luck charm through the process.
Team | Representative | Title |
Houston Rockets | Hakeem Olajuwon | NBA Legend |
Detroit Pistons | Ben Wallace | NBA Legend |
Orlando Magic | Jeff Weltman | President, Basketball Operations |
Oklahoma City Thunder | Nazr Mohammed | Oklahoma City Blue GM/Thunder Pro Scout |
Cleveland Cavaliers | Koby Altman | General Manager |
Minnesota Timberwolves | Anthony Edwards | Player |
Toronto Raptors | Fred Vanvleet | Player |
Sacramento Kings | Monte McNair | General Manager |
Chicago Bulls | Marc Eversley | General Manager |
New Orleans Pelicans | Swin Cash | VP of Basketball Operations & Team Development |
Charlotte Hornets | Miles Bridges | Player |
San Antonio Spurs | Peter J. Holt | Managing Partner |
Indiana Pacers | Nancy Leonard | Former Pacers Executive |
Golden State Warriors | Rick Welts | President and Chief Operating Officer |
More NBA Predictions & Odds
Christian Jope
Christian Jope is a writer, social media strategist, and data analyst. A Queen’s University Alumni, Christian is an author and social media strategist with Raptors Cage, while also working closely with MLSE and Canada Basketball through community-driven events.
Email: [email protected]