:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49311859/usa-today-9177882.0.jpg)
The draft order --other than a few ties to be settled Thursday -- and lottery odds are set and late season moves have pushed the Celtics into a very good place and the Clippers into a decent place, too.
With the Nets late season collapse, the pick Billy King traded to Boston ins 2013, became more and more valuable and the Celtics will now have the third pick in the lottery, with a 15.6 percent chance at the overall No. 1 and a 46.9 percent shot at a top three pick. That's crucial because the draft is seen as top-heavy, with LSU's Ben Simmons and Duke's Brandon Ingram, both swingmen, seen as the surefire 1-2. After that, there's a lot of divided opinion.
Meanwhile, the second round, Brooklyn will pick at No. 55 after the Raptors played great ball at season's end and passed the Clippers, ensuring a Clippers-Nets swap. What might be available at No. 55, assuming the Nets use it and don't try to trade up? Draft Express has Andrey Desyatnikov, a 7'3" Russian center, in that slot. He would be a project.