The NBA draft lottery has become an important part to the health of the NBA's struggling franchises, but at the end of the day it comes down to luck. Sure there was the 1985 gaffe that conspiracy theorists will tell you gave the Knicks Patrick Ewing due to a bent corner on an envelope, this was before they used ping-pong balls (watch the video). Not to mention the 1993 draft where the Magic were the best team to not make the playoffs and still won the first pick despite their terrible odds. Even with the odds stacked against them, any team can pull off a fluke in the lottery.
The teams are set for this year, except for the Jazz and the Kings who may switch places after a coin flip because the Nets gave their pick to Utah in the Deron Williams trade, and they finished with the same record as the Kings.
The following table is from SB Nation's Tom Ziller, breaking down each team's chances of getting the top seed or a top 3 pick:
| Team | No. 1 Pick | Top 3 Pick |
| Timberwolves | 25.0% | 64.3% |
| Cavaliers | 19.9% | 55.8% |
| Raptors | 15.6% | 46.9% |
| Wizards | 11.9% | 37.8% |
| Jazz (from Nets) | 7.6% | 25.4% |
| Kings | 7.5% | 25.3% |
| Pistons | 4.3% | 15.0% |
| Cavaliers (from Clippers) | 2.8% | 10.0% |
| Bobcats | 1.7% | 6.1% |
| Bucks | 1.1% | 4.0% |
| Warriors | 0.8% | 2.9% |
| Jazz | 0.7% | 2.5% |
| Suns | 0.6% | 2.2% |
| Rockets | 0.5% | 1.8% |
Even with the slightest of chances of winning, everyone's got a shot. Isn't that why people play the lottery anyway? These 14 teams will be doing the same, trying to beat the odds.