Why NBA Draft lottery could make or break Warriors’ Giannis Antetokounmpo trade chances originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The 2026 NBA Draft lottery is set to begin on Sunday at 3 p.m.
At the end of the highly anticipated offseason event, the order for the first 14 draft picks will become crystal clear.
While several franchises have much at stake, the Golden State Warriors are likely under the most stress, as the results of the draft lottery could make or break their chances of landing Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Eric Nehm.
“The Warriors would still love nothing more than to bring Antetokounmpo to town and, eventually, sign him to a long-term extension to play alongside Steph Curry in his golden years,” Amick and Nehm wrote Saturday.
“But there’s a reason they were trying so hard to get a deal done at the deadline, as they were well aware that there would be a lot more competition for Antetokounmpo’s services if this situation got pushed to the summer. Alas, here they are.”
“That doesn’t mean there’s no hope, but it would help their possible proposal if the lottery balls landed in their favor. They have a 9.4% chance of being in the top four (including a 2 percent chance at No. 1), but a 77.6% chance of picking 11th (and 12.6% chance at No. 12).”
The offseason Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes will be highly competitive, forcing the Dubs to outbid their competition to snag the 10-time All-Star forward significantly. Landing a top-4 pick will go a long way toward doing so, but narrowly missing out on a prized draft selection could be detrimental to their Antetokounmpo trade hopes.
The Bucks don’t want to trade their best player for an underwhelming return, making Sunday’s draft lottery a pivotal part of the lengthy process of prying Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee.
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