The NBA Draft Lottery is almost here, taking place this Sunday, and for several franchises, it could completely alter the direction of their future. This year’s lottery features a handful of teams that massively underperformed expectations, some intentionally, but all with one common goal: hoping the ping pong balls can save their offseason.

Leading the way are the Washington Wizards, who finished with a brutal 17-65 record, giving them a 14.0% chance at the No. 1 overall pick. Washington was arguably the least competitive team in basketball for stretches of the season, and landing the top pick would instantly give the franchise a cornerstone to build around.

Joining them at the top odds are the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets, both sitting at 14.0% odds as well. Indiana’s appearance here is especially surprising considering expectations entering the year, but they clearly decided to take the tanking route as they did not have their star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Meanwhile Brooklyn continues searching for direction after years of roster turnover and failed superstar experiments.

The Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings round out the projected top five, each holding 11.5% odds after finishing 22-60. Utah embraced a younger direction late in the season and actually has an intriguing young core with Ace Bailey, Keyonte George, and Jaren Jackson Jr., while Sacramento’s presence here simply sums up the direction the franchise is heading.

That’s the beauty and chaos of the lottery. One night can completely change a franchise. One lucky bounce could reshape the next decade, just like we saw last year when the Dallas Mavericks landed Cooper Flagg despite holding just a 1.8% chance at the No. 1 pick. Will there be another lucky winner in this year's lottery?

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