The Denver Nuggets have previously been involved in the NBA lottery 13 times in the 31 years since the lottery’s inception in 1985. The Nuggets have never “moved up” in the lottery, have “dropped down” eight times and retained their position five times during the annual ping-pong ball drop. Here is a look at how the club has fared in its 12 lottery experiences, including its pre-lottery position, eventual draft and selection:
*Pick was traded to Indiana on 6/13/96, along with Jalen Rose and Reggie Williams, for Mark Jackson, Ricky Pierce and the 23rd pick of the 1996 Draft (Efthimios Rentzias)
^Pick was traded to Toronto as part of three-team deal on 1/21/99. Denver acquired Chauncey Billups and draft rights to Tyson Wheeler from Toronto and sent Bobby Jackson and Dean Garrett to Minnesota.
@ Pick was traded to Orlando on 1/21/99 in exchange for Keon Clark and Johnny Taylor.
# Pick was traded to Boston, along with Danny Fortson, Eric Washington and Eric Williams, in exchange for Popeye Jones, Ron Mercer and Dwayne Schintzius
$ Pick was traded on draft‐night to Chicago, along with Anthony Randolph, in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic (16th pick), Garry Harris (19th pick) and a 2015 second round pick.