The NBA broke six ties for the 2026 Draft order on April 20, 2026. Random drawings determined the selection sequence for teams with identical records. The event occurred at the NBA office in Secaucus, New Jersey.
NBA President of League Operations Byron Spruell conducted the drawings. Megan DeCesaris from Ernst & Young oversaw the tiebreaker process. The results were announced via an official NBA release.
The Utah Jazz (22-60) won a tiebreaker with the Sacramento Kings. The New Orleans Pelicans (26-56) won a tiebreaker with the Dallas Mavericks. The Phoenix Suns (45-37) won a tiebreaker with two other teams.
Philadelphia and Orlando placed second and third in that Suns’ drawing. The Toronto Raptors (46-36) won a tiebreaker with the Atlanta Hawks. The Houston Rockets (52-30) won a tiebreaker with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The New York Knicks (53-29) won a tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for Sunday, May 10. It will air live on ABC at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft is set for Tuesday, June 23. The second round will occur on Wednesday, June 24. The NBA also released the full lottery order and odds.
Washington, Indiana, and Brooklyn have the highest lottery odds at 14.0%. Utah and Sacramento each have an 11.5% chance for the top pick. Memphis has a 9.0% probability.
New Orleans holds a 6.8% chance, while Dallas has 6.7%. Chicago’s odds are 4.5%, and Milwaukee’s are 3.0%. Golden State has a 2.0% probability.
The LA Clippers have a 1.5% chance, and Miami has 1.0%. Charlotte rounds out the lottery teams with a 0.5% probability. The order for the remainder of the first round was also listed.
Portland holds the 15th pick, which is owed to Chicago. Phoenix holds the 16th pick, owed to Memphis via Orlando. Philadelphia’s 17th pick is owed to Oklahoma City.
Orlando’s 18th pick is owed to Charlotte via Phoenix. Toronto holds the 19th pick, and Atlanta’s 20th pick is owed to San Antonio. This establishes the preliminary order for the 2026 NBA Draft.
