How the Bucks compare to past teams with two rookie lottery picks

The NBA Draft can make or break a team's future. Every year, a franchise that holds a top pick in the draft hopes they made the correct choice and found a centerpiece for their organization.

If not, then they'll have to wait until the following year to try again and land an impactful player, but for some teams, they have the luxury of trying again in the same draft. It's not often you see a team having two lottery picks in the same draft, but recently it has been a trend, with the Milwaukee Bucks being the latest team.

When the 2026 NBA Draft lottery occurred on May 10, the Bucks walked away with the No. 10 pick after finishing the season with a 32-50 record. With the 10th pick, Milwaukee had multiple options to choose from, but it would hard to narrow it down to one must-draft prospect in a class that has been regarded as one of the most talented in recent history.

Then on the night before the draft, the blockbuster trade that everyone was waiting for finally happened with the Bucks sending Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. In return for Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee received four players and future draft capital that also included Miami's draft pick at No. 13.

The Bucks entered the draft with two lottery picks after the trade and selected Arizona guard Brayden Burries at pick No. 10 and Tennessee forward Nate Ament at pick No. 13. For a team that just traded away their franchise superstar, having two lottery picks gave Milwaukee a nice head start for what could be a long rebuild.

Milwaukee hasn't been the only team in recent years to have two draft picks in the lottery as other teams have also capitalized in similar situations.

Jun 2, 2026; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) and San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) during practice on media day for the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the 2025 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs were one of those teams that were able to make two selections in the lottery. They selected Dylan Harper with the No. 2 pick and followed by drafting Carter Bryant with the No. 14 pick.

Though both players started their careers coming off the bench, the two played important roles for San Antonio as they returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. Harper appeared in 69 games for Spurs and averaged 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 50.5% from the field.

Harper's production increased during the playoffs and showed why he was the No. 2 pick in the draft after having big performances such as scoring 24 points in Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder and a 25-point performance against the New York Knicks in Game 5. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, and also landed a spot on the All-Rookie 1st Team.

Bryant's role was drastically different from Harper's as his job was mostly defense-oriented and he focused on hounding the opposing team's ball handlers and picking them up 94-feet. Bryant played in 71 games for the Spurs and averaged 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. His impact won't show through numbers and statistics, but he carved out a role himself on a team with tremendous depth.

The year before that, the Washington Wizards were another team to have two lottery picks in the same draft as they selected Alex Sarr No. 2 overall and Bub Carrington at pick No. 14 that came from the Portland Trailblazers in exchange for Deni Avdija.

After two years, both Sarr and Carrington have proved to be bright spots for the Wizards future. For Sarr, he's averaged 14.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game and made the All-Rookie 1st Team in 2025. He's proven to be an impactful player on the defensive end, while also having the skillset to score in a variety of ways on the offensive.

Sarr showed significant improvement during his sophomore season with increases in points, rebounds, blocks, field goal and three-point percentage and looks to breakout for year three. Carrington is one of the few players to play in every game in the past two years and his production reflects that.

Like Sarr, Carrington also made a All-Rookie team in 2025 with him earning a spot on the second team after averaging, 9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.4 rebounds per game. He also became more efficient in his second year, especially with his three-point shooting as his percentage went from 33.9% to 40.8%.

He excelled with the ball in his hands as he can navigate the pick and roll, and can create his own shot. He'll be a solid a depth piece for a Washington team that's looking to shock people around the league.

The trend continued in 2023 with the Orlando Magic drafting Anthony Black and Jett Howard, and in 2022 when the Thunder drafted Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams who would become NBA champions in 2025 after defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games.

Having two picks in the lottery gives a team a better chance to build a foundation for their organization like with the Spurs, Wizards and Thunder who've already seen the impact in a short period.

For the Bucks they hope they can do the same and it's looking like it can come to fruition. It didn't take long for Burries to make his presence known with Milwaukee after an impressive showing during summer league as was selected to the All-Summer League First Team.

Ament also displayed his potential during summer league and has continued to work throughout the offseason that gives Bucks fans to be excited about.

@Bucks fans, be excited @NateAment has added muscle, tightened the handle, and hasn't missed. The Bucks have a real steal on their hands.

I got some exclusive clips from Nate's private offseason workouts with NBA trainer Zachary Gonzalez.

The physique jump is real, the… pic.twitter.com/JgbHwbSN60
— ALBERT GHIM (@albertoeghim) September 9, 2026

The trade that sent Antetokounmpo to the Heat might have lowered the expecatations for Milwaukee heading into the 2026-27 season, but it has also allowed the Bucks to possibly have their core future set in stone.

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