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After Months of Tanking, the Kings vs. Jazz Race for Final Lottery Spot Came Down to Chance

Utah and Sacramento finished with the same 22–60 record, prompting a tiebreaker by the NBA on Monday.
Dan Lyons|
The Jazz finished fourth in the NBA draft order ahead of the lottery, edging out the Kings by a random draw.
The Jazz finished fourth in the NBA draft order ahead of the lottery, edging out the Kings by a random draw. | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

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Utah JazzSacramento KingsOklahoma City Thunder

Ahead of next month’s NBA draft lottery, the final few pieces of the equation that will determine which teams pick atop a loaded draft have fallen into place. And the Jazz are Monday’s big winner, thanks to random chance.

Utah finished tied with the Kings for the fourth-worst record in the NBA at 22–60. Both squads have an 11.5% chance to land the top pick and a 45.2% chance to land in the top four, which are the picks determined in the lottery.

NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell conducted a random drawing to break all standings ties on Monday, and the Jazz will now enter the lottery in the No. 4 spot ahead of Sacramento. Additionally, the Pelicans finished seventh ahead of the Mavericks after both teams finished 26–56, though New Orleans's pick is headed to the Hawks as part of last year’s trade for Derik Queen. Four other tiebreakers between playoff teams were also decided.

There is plenty of data included from a random drawing here, but Utah fans had by far the most to lose entering Monday.

Monday’s random NBA draw means the Jazz won’t lose their first-round pick to the Thunder

Thunder forward Derrick Favors reacts after a 3-point basket against the Mavericks.
Derrick Favors played just 39 games for the Thunder after being traded by the Jazz along with a protected draft pick in return for salary cap relief. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Way back in 2021, when the Thunder were one of the NBA’s worst teams and the Jazz finished atop the Western Conference, the two sides came to a deal that was seen as mutually beneficial at the time. Oklahoma City would take on forward Derrick Favors, the No. 3 pick in the 2010 draft, and his $9.7 million contract, as well as a future first-round pick, thereby granting Utah some salary cap relief.

It was the kind of move that helped the Thunder build what looks now like a bourgeoning dynasty. And until Monday, the possibility existed that OKC could strike with yet another first-round pick, years after the rebuild had come to fruition. The Jazz first-rounder was top-10 protected in 2024 and ‘25, and top-eight protected in ‘26, after which it expires.

In 2024, Utah picked 10th, taking Colorado’s Cody Williams. A year later, they landed the fifth pick, used to select Rutgers’s Ace Bailey. And with Monday’s news, the Jazz's first-round pick officially can’t fall below eighth, guaranteeing that the pick will not move to the Thunder.

It also means that, if neither franchise jumps into the top three, Utah will stay a pick ahead of Sacramento. After 82 long games, just over a quarter of which the Jazz and Kings managed to win, ultimately their fates were decided, in part, by a figurative coin flip.

It was just one of the potential lottery picks that the Thunder had a chance at, thanks to its aggressive rebuild earlier this decade. Oklahoma City owns the Clippers' pick via the Paul George trade, which has a 1.5% chance of turning into the No. 1 pick and a 7.1% chance of landing in the top four.

Official 2026 NBA draft lottery odds after Monday’s tiebreaker drawings

Team

Record

No. 1 Pick Odds

Wizards

17–65

14%

Pacers

19–63

14%

Nets

20–62

14%

Jazz

22–60

11.5%

Kings

22–60

11.5%

Grizzlies

25–57

9%

Hawks (via Pelicans)

26–56 (N.O.)

6.8%

Mavericks

26–56

6.7%

Bulls

31–51

4.5%

Bucks (or Hawks, via Pelicans)

32–50

3%

Warriors

37–45

2%

Thunder (via Clippers)

42–40 (L.A.)

1.5%

Heat

43–39

1%

Hornets

44–38

0.5%

The Hawks will land the higher pick between the Pelicans and the Bucks, while Milwaukee will take the worse pick of the two, as a result of the Queen and 2020 Jrue Holiday deals.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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