Washington Wizards - Loser
Finishing with the second-worst record in the NBA, the hope was that the Washington Wizards would be awarded one of the four generational players in this year's NBA Draft class. However, that's not exactly how things played out in the lottery. Instead of locking up a top pick, the Wizards took the biggest tumble of the night as they will now pick No. 6 overall. It puts them in a pretty awkward spot as they continue down the road of a long rebuild.
Again, it's not that the Wizards are not going to get a good player. It's the idea that this is, in many respects, a four-player draft. The fact that the Wizards finished with the second-worst record in the NBA and won't be able to get one of those "can't-miss" franchise-changing prospects is heart-breaking. If there's any consolation, it's the fact that the Wizards have an additional first-round pick they could use, too.
San Antonio Spurs - Winner
The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery was kind to two of the three Texas teams. The Dallas Mavericks earned the No. 1 overall pick, and the San Antonio Spurs moved up to No. 2. Even though Dylan Harper is not the best fit next to De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle from a team-building perspective, there's another reason why this is a huge deal for the Spurs. It's the fact that this asset will probably give them an upper hand in any bidding war for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
If Giannis does end up on the trade block, the Spurs would have to love their chances to win the expected bidding war. Sure, the Oklahoma City Thunder can offer the mystery of a plethora of draft picks, but they'd probably have to include Jalen Williams and then some to match the Spurs' offering of Dylan Harper. As the offseason quickly approaches, we could look back at the Spurs moving up in the draft lottery as the moment they pulled ahead in the sweepstakes for Giannis.