Updated NBA Draft Lottery Odds for Washington Wizards Following Latest Loss to Chicago Bulls

Jacob Perrine
Washington Wizards forward Anthony Davis (23) talks with forward Leaky Black (14).

After losing to the Chicago Bulls in a huge 129-98 blowout loss, the 2025-26 NBA season is nearly over the Washington Wizards and all eyes for the team are now looking towards the upcoming draft lottery, with the Wizards strongly in the mix to snag a top 3 pick. Let’s examine the current lottery odds and Washington’s chances at potentially clinching the first overall pick come June.

Lottery Odds Currently Project Washington as Favorite for the Top Pick

Although it’s been a tough year for the Wizards yet again, the sun may soon shine on the franchise after this season, as the lottery odds continue to tip in their favor. This latest loss now gives the Wizards the worst record in the NBA at 17-62 overall, with only three games left in the season. Washington was previously tied with the Indiana Pacers for that terrible but very important position.

This is so far giving the Wizards a significant edge over the other tanking teams when it comes to the race for the first overall pick. Washington currently holds a 52.1% chance of getting a top 4 pick, and a 14% chance to attain the top pick in the draft. Although there are some pitfalls associated with that, as both the Pacers and Nets also possess the same odds percentage-wise.

There is also the matter of the flattened lottery odds, which has historically been a detriment to the team with the worst record in the NBA during a season. Since the implementation of the flattened lottery odds back in 2019, no team that held the worst record was able to win the lottery that same season. However, a team with a 14% chance of winning the lottery has won it in 4 of the last 6 lotteries, so there is some hint of a silver lining buried beneath flattened percentages.

What Else is on the Agenda for the Wizards?

Aside from crossing their fingers and hoping for the best with the NBA draft, there still remains some important business that the Wizards should put their attention towards. The first being the upcoming contract situation with all-star guard Trae Young, who can choose to exercise his $49 million player option, or opt-out and become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

There is also a third option on the table for Young, surrounding a potential opt-out, as he can still sign a guaranteed five-year contract, but doing so would result in a heavily reduced salary and overall contract amount if that path were taken. Both Young and the Wizards have until June 23 on the player option front. The Wizards can also bypass the player option path entirely if they sign Young to a three-year $156.9 million extension before June 30. That extension would end up eliminating Young’s player option in its entirety.

According to a report by Mark Medina of EssentiallySports, the Wizards’ front office has not yet discussed this contract situation with Young. “We have a great relationship with his reps, and we want to make sure everybody feels comfortable and build a partnership and relationship until we have any real conversations”, said Wizards GM Will Dawkins.

The Wizards will also have to juggle Young’s contract negotiations with another potential deal with all-star big man Anthony Davis. However, that situation doesn’t loom as large for the Wizards, as Davis is still under contract for the next two years following a three-year $186 million extension that he signed back in 2023 while with the Los Angeles Lakers. Davis becomes eligible on August 6 to sign a four-year extension with the team. There have not been any discussions on that front at this time.