Fourteen NBA teams ranked by desperation for 2026 draft lottery pick

8 articles · Updated · The Ringer · May 8

The list puts Sacramento first, followed by Milwaukee and Golden State, before Sunday's lottery featuring 14 teams with a shot at the No. 1 pick.
Oklahoma City ranks last because the defending champion already owns deep draft capital, while teams such as Brooklyn, Chicago and Washington are portrayed as needing talent or a reset.
The ranking argues a potentially generational class and widespread tanking have raised the stakes, with possible lottery reform making this one of the final chances for bottom teams to maximise odds.

For desperate teams like the Kings and Bucks, is the 2026 draft lottery a final lifeline or a path to ruin?

Could the NBA's proposed anti-tanking reform accidentally punish the very teams it's designed to help?