It’s actually better for them to be 3rd because then their pick that can go to the Clippers could be 7th instead of just 5th (if they were the worst), screwing their trade partner just a bit more.

52%

Kings coming through with that win last night was clutch

They’re lucky they don’t play us again this year or else that would be in serious jeopardy

Yup it’s actually ideal for them to have the 3rd worst record. Same odds be 1-4, but higher chance to be 7th instead of just 5th (either of which are going to the Clippers).

Exactly. Pacers, Nets and Wiz have those 3 spots nearly locked up. Kings were knocking at the door but they just won tonight also.

Issue is if we win 1 more, we’ll likely be splitting odds with the Kings

I think the battle isn’t about being the worst to get the highest pick, it’s about managing the floor of your pick. Even if the team with the worst record does not get 1st they’re guaranteed a 5th which is still a great pick because of the apparent calibre of the coming draft class.

Yeah… somehow the Mavs will end up with a better pick than us, again… for doing the league a solid and trading a generational talent

I mean, the odds are still the odds. The way those odds have played out in a small sample size doesn’t change what the probability of them getting a given pick is. It matters as much as the % chances matter, not what happened last year.

Yeah, I’ve been kinda surprised that hasn’t worked all that much to limit this level of tanking. Even when being the worst makes the 5th pick your most likely outcome, not being able to fall further than 5 still seems to be an enormous incentive.

Actually this just made me realize something. If the value of only being able to drop so far in the lottery is what seems to be so highly prioritized among the worst tankers, maybe just get rid of that part and see if that works?

Just make the entire lottery a drawing, as opposed to just picking the top 5 and having the rest of the draft order determined from there. That way you still have a lottery that gives the worst teams better odds of getting a higher pick, but there’s less to be gained from being as bad as you can possibly be since falling to 14 is still theoretically a possibility.

Oh he will I am sure

emotionally sure, but analytically it’s probably better to guarantee the #5 go to a west team with a shaky future than risk it staying east

And give it to the clippers? Seems like he’d rather the pacers have the 4th pick lol

Bet the clippers get rewarded with the 1st overall pick

They will void kawhi contract and then get the 1st overall pick

You’re still mad about John wall destroying yall for years lol

anthony gill > all of canada

Still swept your sorry ass in playoffs 🧹🧹