What The NBA Draft Lottery Means For Duke’s Starting Five

The NBA Draft lottery occurred Tuesday night in Chicago, and in the end, the team that had the best chance of securing the number one pick did just that. The Phoenix Suns won the lottery and will have the first pick in the 2018 NBA Draft on June 21st.

The Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks rounded out the top 3, meaning that Duke star Marvin Bagley III is likely to either return to Arizona to play for his hometown Suns, head to Atlanta, or join fellow member of The Brotherhood Harry Giles in Sacramento to round out what would be an exciting young team.

The rest of the NBA Draft lottery order:

1. Phoenix Suns
2. Sacramento Kings
3. Atlanta Hawks
4. Memphis Grizzlies
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Orlando Magic
7. Chicago Bulls
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Brooklyn Nets)
9. New York Knicks
10. Philadelphia 76ers (from Los Angeles Lakers)
11. Charlotte Hornets
12. Los Angeles Clippers (from Detroit Pistons)
13. Los Angeles Clippers
14. Denver Nuggets

What does this mean for Bagley and the rest of the Duke Blue Devils that will be eligible for the draft? For Wendell Carter, Jr., it could see him end up somewhere like Orlando or Madison Square Garden playing for the Knicks. Duke graduate Grayson Allen could end up somewhere in the late first round, perhaps as a backup or replacement for J.J. Redick in Philadelphia depending on what Redick decides in free agency.

For Gary Trent, Jr. and Trevon Duval, it’s a guessing game as to whether they have the game that NBA GMs think is worth a first round pick. Most boards have Trent, Duval or Allen as second round picks, but with good workouts and the needs of teams as they prepare for the free agency rush, both players should hopefully find good homes in the NBA. Duval could be a good fit with the Oklahoma City Thunder as a potential backup to Russell Westbrook, while look for a team like the San Antonio Spurs or Minnesota Timberwolves take Trent’s shooting ability and hope the rest of his game can fill out.

It remains to be seen where all these players will end up. Still, Duke has a chance to have quite a few more members of The Brotherhood have their name called on draft night.