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Draft Lottery Simulator

2027 to 2029 drafts

Simulate the NBA's 3-2-1 draft lottery format used for the 2027 through 2029 drafts, where 16 teams draw from 37 balls and every lottery slot is drawn.

NBA 3-2-1 Draft Lottery Simulator

Live standings updated ET

Ball groups depend on Play-In results that are not known until April, so this board projects them from current conference seeding. Some procedural details of the new format, including how repeat restrictions are applied mid-draw, have not been published by the NBA. Simulate the current format instead.

PickTeam
  1. 1Brooklyn NetsSeed 1
  2. 2Sacramento KingsSeed 2
  3. 3Chicago BullsSeed 3
  4. 4Miami HeatSeed 4
  5. 5Milwaukee BucksSeed 5
  6. 6New Orleans PelicansSeed 6
  7. 7Utah JazzSeed 7
  8. 8LA ClippersSeed 8
  9. 9Orlando MagicSeed 9
  10. 10Phoenix SunsSeed 10
  11. 11Golden State WarriorsSeed 11
  12. 12Indiana PacersSeed 12
  13. 13New York KnicksSeed 13
  14. 14Denver NuggetsSeed 14
  15. 15Washington WizardsSeed 15
  16. 16Dallas MavericksSeed 16

Full odds distribution

Simulate 10,000 lotteries to see each seed's chance at every pick, including the effect of caps and floors.

Run the distribution to see how often each seed lands on each pick.

Projected 2026-27 ball allocation

Group A gets three balls, groups B and C two, and group D one.

Projected NBA 3-2-1 lottery ball allocation and first-pick odds.
SeedTeamGroupBallsDraw odds
1Brooklyn NetsB25.41%
2Sacramento KingsB25.41%
3Chicago BullsB25.41%
4Miami HeatA38.11%
5Milwaukee BucksA38.11%
6New Orleans PelicansA38.11%
7Utah JazzA38.11%
8LA ClippersA38.11%
9Orlando MagicA38.11%
10Phoenix SunsA38.11%
11Golden State WarriorsC25.41%
12Indiana PacersC25.41%
13New York KnicksC25.41%
14Denver NuggetsC25.41%
15Washington WizardsD12.70%
16Dallas MavericksD12.70%

How the 3-2-1 lottery works

  1. 1Sixteen teams enter, split into four ball groups. The seven non-Play-In teams outside the three worst records get three balls each, the three worst records get two, the four Play-In teams seeded 9th and 10th get two, and the two losers of the 7-vs-8 Play-In games get one.
  2. 2That makes 37 balls in total, so a three-ball team has an 8.1 percent chance at the first pick, a two-ball team 5.4 percent and a one-ball team 2.7 percent.
  3. 3Groups C and D are defined by Play-In role rather than final playoff status, so the two teams that win the 8 seed through the Play-In still hold lottery picks.
  4. 4All 16 picks are drawn. There is no reverse-record fill, which is the biggest departure from the current system.
  5. 5The three worst records are protected: they cannot fall past pick 12, so in the worst case they take picks 10, 11 and 12.
  6. 6A team's pick cannot be first overall in consecutive drafts, and cannot land in the top five in three consecutive drafts.