The Philadelphia 76ers won the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday, giving them the No. 1 pick in June's draft. The lottery surprisingly went chalk, with the Los Angeles Lakers keeping their pick by landing No. 2 and the Boston Celtics getting the third pick via the Brooklyn Nets. It's the first time in league history, no one moved up or down.
The Sixers now get their choice between Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons, the two clear runaway favorites for the No. 1 pick. The Lakers will likely target the other, but will also be open to trading the pick if a star option emerges. The Celtics land the third pick in a two-player draft and will be forced with either drafting a project in Dragan Bender, or another guard to go with the plethora they already have on roster.
The Lakers kept their pick with it falling in the top three. Had they been jumped twice, the pick would have gone to the Sixers, who still have three first-round picks. The Phoenix Suns finish with two picks in the top 14, and the Denver Nuggets, despite having a 21 percent chance at a top-three pick, failed to move up in a year they desperately needed to.
The Kings retained their pick by not being jumped twice. Had they landed above the tenth spot, their pick would have gone to the Bulls.
For the Sixers, it represents the fruition of what was started by now-resigned general manager Sam Hinkie, who put his team in this position trying to land a franchise star. Can Simmons or Ingram be that guy? That's what Philadelphia now has to figure out.
Team | Pick No. |
Philadelphia 76ers | 1 |
Los Angeles Lakers | 2 |
Boston Celtics | 3 |
Phoenix Suns | 4 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 5 |
New Orleans Pelicans | 6 |
Denver Nuggets | 7 |
Sacramento Kings | 8 |
Toronto Raptors | 9 |
Milwuakee Bucks | 10 |
Orlando Magic | 11 |
Utah Jazz | 12 |
Phoenix Suns | 13 |
Chicago Bulls | 14 |
Denver Nuggets (via Rockets) | 15 |
Boston Celtics (via Mavericks) | 16 |
Memphis Grizzlies | 17 |
Detroit Pistons | 18 |
Denver Nuggets (via Blazers) | 19 |
Indiana Pacers | 20 |
Atlanta Hawks | 21 |
Charlotte Hornets | 22 |
Boston Celtics | 23 |
Philadelphia 76ers (via Heat) | 24 |
Los Angeles Clippers | 25 |
Philadelphia 76ers (via Thunder) | 26 |
Toronto Raptors | 27 |
Phoenix Suns (via Cavs) | 28 |
San Antonio Spurs | 29 |
Golden State Warriors | 30 |
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