Nets Hoping for More Lottery Luck

May 29, 2012

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—Wednesday, Brooklyn Nets GM Billy King discovers how his midseason trade for Gerald Wallace will shake out, as the Nets find out the results of the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery. Here's a look back at the franchise's lottery luck since the event began in 1985.

Tomorrow, Brooklyn Nets General Manager Billy King will know how his midseason trade for Gerald Wallace shook out. The ping pong balls will bounce at the NBA Draft Lottery and the Nets will either hold a Top-3 selection or begin working the phones to possibly acquire a first-round pick.

"It's a big day," King said. "There's a chance we'll get one of the top three picks or we won't. What the Lottery does, more than anything, is gives you certainty in what the Draft order is. Because then you can start making calls on who has what picks."

The GM, who has a reputation for making deals at the NBA Draft (seven trades in his last three at the helm), believes the Lottery marks the official start of the offseason race to reshape rosters before next season begins. King enters the Lottery with the Nets slotted sixth after losing a coin flip with the Sacramento Kings, whom also finished with 22 wins. The odds for each team rising into the Top-3 are:

Overall, that leaves the Nets with a 25.19-percent possibility of keeping their pick. Since the current lottery system came into place in 2005, the team slotted sixth has jumped to No. 1 twice (2005, Andrew Bogut; 2007, Greg Oden), No. 2 twice (2009, Hasheem Thabeet; 2010, Evan Turner) and No. 3 once (2011). The pick has held steady once (2006, Brandon Roy) and fallen to No. 7 once (2008, Eric Gordon).

Contrary to that positive history -- and remember, each lottery's outcomes are exclusive to the individual drawing; past results have no impact -- the likeliest outcome is that the team slotted sixth remains there (41.38%), followed by dropping to seventh (29.38%), or jumping to third (9.36%), second (8.33%) or first (7.5%). It is possible, though unlikely, that the pick falls to No. 8 or 9 overall (3.94% and 0.11%, respectively).

The Nets, in the current system, have held position twice (2008, 10th, Brook Lopez; 2009, 11th, Terrence Williams) and dropped once (2010, 1st to 3rd, Derrick Favors). Their 2011 First-Round selection jumped from No. 6 to No. 3, but went to Utah as part of that year's trade for point guard Deron Williams; the Jazz selected Enes Kanter.

Prior to 2005, through various Lottery setups, the Nets made 11 appearances (twice having traded the pick). They moved up three times: jumping from fifth to fourth in 1998 (Chris Morris); fourth to second in 1991 (Kenny Anderson); and seventh to first in 2000 (Kenyon Martin). They held position four times, including a No. 1 in 1990 (Derrick Coleman), while dropping four times -- though that fortunately includes the two traded picks (1989, 1999).

Below is a chart showing the Nets' lottery history, and also the winner for that year:

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