On Tuesday, May 16th, the NBA held its 33rd annual NBA draft lottery to decide the order of the 2017 NBA draft. The event was held in New York at the Midtown hotel. It consisted of 14 teams who didn’t make the playoffs. It was hosted by deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, the next in line when Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA resigns or retires.

The lottery was introduced in 1985 after the Houston Rockets were accused of purposely losing games in the 1984-1985 season so they could select Georgetown All-American Patrick Ewing with the first pick. Because of the lottery, the New York Knicks got the first pick that year and selected the eventual First team NBAer.

After 1990, the amount of balls placed in the lottery was dependent on win loss record with teams with more losses having a better chance. Under the current format, the 14 non playoff teams are entered in the lottery, and seven are selected for the first seven picks.

The drawing of the ping-pong balls is conducted in private, though observed by independent auditors and representatives from each team. The results are subsequently presented in a short ceremony in which the order of the lottery is announced in reverse order, from the fourteenth selection to the first. Representatives from each NBA franchise with a lottery pick are present at the ceremony.

On May 16th, the NBA announced the order for the 2017 NBA draft after the balls were selected. The Boston Celtics won the NBA, followed with the remaining 13 teams who didn’t make the playoffs: Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets, and the Miami Heat.

The Boston Celtics won the number one pick this year. Not only are the Celtics in the playoffs this year, they are currently playing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.

“I didn’t really get why the Celtics got the first pick,” said Marmes. “Then I saw an article on ESPN how it dates back to a trade a few years ago.”

In a trade the Brooklyn Nets made with the Celtics in 2013, they lost the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. The Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett trade with the Brooklyn Nets is still paying off for the Boston Celtics.

On May 16th 2017, the Celtics got the number one overall pick in the draft at the draft lottery, via a pick swap with the Brooklyn Nets.
Arrowhead senior and Brooklyn Nets fan Downan Doughty is still upset about the trade.

“We were supposed to get the first pick this year but then the trade got in the way of it,” said Doughty.
The whole situation stems from a 2013 trade in which the Celtics sent Pierce, Garnett, and Jason Terry to Brooklyn as the Nets tried to build a star-packed team to rival the Miami Heat. In exchange, along with some role players, the Celtics received the Nets’ 2014, 2016, and 2018 first-round picks, with the right to swap picks in 2017. The entire trade is as follows, Brooklyn receives Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and D.J. White, Boston receives: Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans, three first-round picks (2014, 2016 and 2018), plus the right to swap first-rounders in 2017.

The draft order was announced after the lottery was finished. The 2017 NBA draft will be held on June 22nd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn New York.