NBA Draft lottery finalized, but the draft may be delayed

The NBA Draft Lottery has been successfully done virtually, and while the anticipation wasn’t quite the same, the end result was still the 14 teams getting to know exactly where they’ll chose from in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Here’s how the lottery results played out:

14. Celtics

13. Pelicans

12. Kings

11. Spurs

10. Suns

9. Wizards

8. Knicks

7. Pistons

6. Hawks

5. Cavaliers

4. Bulls

3. Hornets

2. Warriors

1. Timberwolves

Some notable names that didn’t crack in the top three were the New York Knicks, who were awarded the No. 8 pick despite 21 wins, and Cleveland Cavaliers, the East’s worst team, awarded the No. 5 pick.

Entering the lottery, the Cavaliers, Timberwolves and Warriors were the three teams with the top odds the No. 1 overall pick. Last year, a team outside the top three was granted the rights to the top pick which turned into Zion Williamson.

This season, we’ll have to a few months to see what the Minnesota Timberwolves, represented by D’Angelo Russell, do with the top pick.

The Cavaliers were the first team in the top five, locking up the fifth pick. As announced with anticipation between each pull, the Bulls were given the No. 4 overall pick. The Hornets, Warriors and Wolves rounded out the top three in respective order.

While the lottery may have kicked off on time and been a success, the NBA Draft may not have the same luck. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that NBAPA is looking to push back free agency which, could, in turn, push back the draft.

Front-office executives are privately concerned about the lack of salary-cap and luxury-tax projections in place before the Oct. 16 draft. Those projections would allow them to make crucial decisions — including on possible trades — with a clearer understanding of the financial ramifications.

Among many teams, there is interest in connecting the mid-October draft and free-agency periods so that they could be delayed together, sources said.

Much of the issues arise with the NBA not knowing the revenue situation due to the coronavirus knocking down several weeks of the season. Nothing has been finalized, but as they prepare for it to be delayed, the NBA may have to re-consider their potential December 1 start date for the 2020-2021 season.

And if the draft is delayed, it means a host of former Kentucky Wildcats will have to wait even longer to learn their NBA dates. Tyrese Maxey is expected to be a first-round pick, possibly at the end of the lottery to someone like Boston, while Immanuel Quickley, Ashton Hagans and Nick Richards are projected as second-round picks. EJ Montgomery and Kahlil Whitney will likely go undrafted and struggle just to get a training camp deal with someone, especially with a shortened offseason.