Boston Celtics draft lottery 2018: Mike Zarren, Celtics superstitious as lottery approaches

The 2018 NBA Draft Lottery takes place Tuesday night in Chicago, where the fortunes of 14-plus teams could change in a profound way.

If the Knicks get stuck with the ninth pick-where they now stand in the lottery-they’ll have a very good chance of drafting a potential starter or at the very least, a rotational player.

That year, the pick turned into All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who, ironically enough, was dealt to the Celtics in the offseason in exchange for forward Jae Crowder, point guard Isaiah Thomas and a pair of selections in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The Celtics have the rights to the Lakers pick via the Philadelphia 76ers, thanks to the trade that landed Markelle Fultz in Philly and Jayson Tatum in Boston, but only if it somehow falls between Nos. 2-5.

When it comes to the Pistons’ pick, the Clippers are obviously going to want to get unlucky.

Tonight the 2018 NBA Draft order will be determined as the NBA Draft Lottery will be revealed.

The last time the Bulls were good was after Derrick Rose fell into their lap in the 2008 draft, despite just 1.7% odds at the top pick.

Now, let’s move onto game two of the Eastern Conference Finals. However, by virtue of the lottery, Cleveland has a 2.8 percent chance of having its pick move up to No. 1 and a 9.9 percent chance of it falling in the top three.

Suffice to say there isn’t a definitive answer of whether James will leave Cleveland, but landing a top draft pick might be the type of recruitment extra James enjoys. The NBA draft order will be finalized on May 15 with the NBA draft lottery. Of course, the Minnesota Timberwolves already know where they are drafting. If the Mavs get lucky, they could speed up the rebuilding process that began two seasons ago.

“Doncic would also be a tremendous fit alongside Devin Booker in the backcourt, even though his size (6’7″) suggests his position to be that of a wing more than a potential franchise point guard. Philly, meanwhile, could have a top-10 pick this year, and now will have four (!) projected lottery picks next year as well.

Los Angeles has just the 0.6 and 2.2 percent chances mentioned earlier. However, they will not have their first round pick this time around. Nepotism will be at play for the Cavaliers as Dan Gilbert’s son Nick once again takes to the stage. That they’ll likely be able to add another top draft pick to the equation should be somewhat terrifying for opponents.

The Sixers are expected to keep the Lakers pick because Los Angeles finished with the league’s 10th-worst record.

And that was probably a good thing for Memphis if we’re being honest.

Orlando Magic: The Magic have picked in the lottery every season since they traded for Dwight Howard. In 2015 they won several meaningless games in the final weeks that allowed the Timberwolves to get the top lottery odds and draft Karl Anthony-Towns.