In the lottery drawing room, where NBA executives and select media members witnessed the secretive selection process before the results were revealed on television, Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins rode the emotional roller coaster without so much as a smile or a nod. A group of Wizards executives planned to dine at a downtown steakhouse Sunday night, but one anticipated a “business as usual” atmosphere rather than a raucous celebration as they begin the six-week draft prospect evaluation process in earnest.
“I’ve got a lot of emotions inside, but I just play it cool and keep moving forward,” a stoic Dawkins said. “Stylistically, we’re still evolving. Our first line of business is to solidify our head coach and make sure they’re involved in how we want to play and what we look like moving forward. We’re going to find the best long-term fit [with the second pick].”
To determine the lottery order, the NBA placed 14 numbered ping-pong balls into a hopper and pulled out a four-number combination. Each of the 14 lottery teams — those that did not qualify for the playoffs — held a percentage of 1,001 combinations based on its regular season performance, with the two worst teams each having a 14 percent chance to get the top pick. The NBA pulled separate four-number combinations to determine the top four picks, then picks 5 through 14 were determined by which of the remaining teams had the worst regular season record.
Atlanta, which had just a 3 percent chance of winning the lottery after finishing 36-46 and qualifying for the play-in tournament, claimed the top spot for the first time since the lottery system was implemented in 1985.
“It feels great,” Hawks General Manager Landry Fields said. “Definitely beat the odds here. This is a nice tool for us to continuously build out what we’re doing. I was in shock. … I’m not sure [how many players we’ll consider]. We’ll get back, collect as a group, lean into our process and methodology and take it from there. Every draft class has great players.”
Atlanta’s winning combination was 6-10-14-13. If the final digit had been 1, Washington would have selected first in what is expected to be the most wide-open draft class since 2013, when the Cleveland Cavaliers selected UNLV forward Anthony Bennett at No. 1 and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo went 15th to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Wizards secured the No. 2 pick with the combination 7-6-1-5. This will be the franchise’s highest draft pick since it selected John Wall with the No. 1 pick in 2010, and it was a major reward for a 15-67 campaign that was the worst in team history. Washington, which removed coach Wes Unseld Jr. and installed assistant Brian Keefe as his interim replacement in January, entered the draft with a 14 percent chance to land the No. 1 pick and a 13.4 percent chance to land at No. 2.
“It’s definitely something we wanted,” Dawkins said. “When you have a difficult season like we had, you’re able to grow. This gives us another opportunity to add another young piece. We’ll continue to chip away at our player development and everything we’re trying to do in D.C.”
While the San Antonio Spurs landed Wembanyama with last year’s first pick and Duke-bound forward Cooper Flagg has emerged as the early favorite to go first next year, a half-dozen players could be in consideration for this year’s top selection. Some of the leading candidates include French center Alexandre Sarr, Connecticut center Donovan Clingan, Serbian guard Nikola Topic, French forward Zaccharie Risacher and Kentucky guards Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham.
Given the parity at the top, there’s a good chance Washington’s preferred player will be available when it selects. The Wizards plan to meet with 30 prospects at this week’s draft combine in Chicago, and Dawkins said they would consider “probably 10 guys” with the No. 2 pick.
“There’s a lot of optionality at the top of the draft,” he said. “There’s probably not the same level of instant gratification in Year 1 with some of these rookies. But if you really dive down and have some patience and a forward-thinking outlook, these players are going to be pretty good players a few years from now.”
Dawkins, a 37-year-old executive who joined the Wizards last June from Oklahoma City, understands the power of picking second. He joined the Thunder in 2008 when Kevin Durant, the No. 2 pick in the 2007 draft, was wrapping up his rookie of the year campaign. Dawkins also was involved in the Thunder’s selection of Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft and the rookie of the year runner-up this season.
The mood in the drawing room Sunday was much more mellow than usual, given the lack of a highly coveted top prospect and an unusual afternoon time slot on Mother’s Day. Daniel Starkman, Atlanta’s vice president of player personnel, credited his lucky vintage Hawks socks, made by his brother’s company, for securing the victory. Dawkins and Wizards rookie Bilal Coulibaly, who represented the team onstage during the TV broadcast, eschewed good luck charms altogether.
“I felt like we were going to get a good pick for two days,” said the 19-year-old Coulibaly, who was selected in last year’s lottery. “The second pick was what I was thinking, actually. … As soon as we were coming [to Chicago], I was thinking, ‘Man, I feel good.’ I guess I’m a lucky person.”
The draft, featuring an expanded two-day format, will be held June 26 and 27 in New York. Detroit will pick fifth after finishing with the NBA’s worst record, followed by Charlotte, Portland, San Antonio, Memphis, Utah, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Sacramento and Portland.
The Rockets landed the third pick thanks to their 2021 trade with the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden. The Toronto Raptors had to send the eighth pick to the Spurs as trade compensation because it didn’t land in the top six. The Thunder acquired the 12th pick from the Rockets and the Trail Blazers got the 14th pick from the Golden State Warriors to pay off other trades.
Washington has selected three international players with lottery picks in the past five years — Coulibaly, Deni Avdija and Rui Hachimura — and several foreign prospects are likely to draw serious consideration this time. Dawkins praised the Wizards’ international scouts for “crisscrossing the globe” to evaluate the major prospects “multiple times.”
Standing nearby in a sharp black suit, Coulibaly smiled and offered his services.
“I know Risacher. I can help them with the scouting report,” he said, referring to the 19-year-old forward who played professionally in France this season. Coulibaly is also from France. “He’s a good shot maker. He can shoot the ball from everywhere on the court. He’s really efficient. I like his game.”