Why Wizards Should Push for NBA to Abandon Lottery

Have you ever planned a day to go to the beach? Perhaps you took time off from your job, booked a beachfront hotel, and wrote out an entire itinerary. As the day approaches, you see rain is in the forecast for the entire duration of your trip. That is what the results of the NBA Draft Lottery felt like for the Washington Wizards.

The Wizards were praying, hoping and wishing for the number one overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. They tanked a bit this season to get that selection. We can blame a portion of their lack of success this season on inexperience, as they did have the youngest team in the league. However, tanking certainly took place this season not just for the Wizards, but for many different teams as well.

After the Wizards' plan to secure a top-three pick in the lottery failed, they should push for a change in how the draft system works. The Wizards need help. In fact, you can make the argument that they need a lot of help. Having the second worst record in the league certainly warrants attention that the team could use more talent.

Players aren’t necessarily pushing to sign with the Wizards in free agency either. That is why they depend on the draft to improve their team. In the NFL, the teams with the worst records end up with the best draft picks. Those teams tend to typically improve dramatically over time with that system.

In the NBA, good teams are getting the top picks. That is leaving bad teams in a position where they remain unsuccessful for a long time. This doesn’t help balance the scales in the league whatsoever. The Wizards may want to put in a change request to remove the NBA Draft Lottery.