Deandre Ayton will attend 2019 NBA Draft Lottery representing Suns
May 6, 2019, 1:33 PM
Deandre Ayton from Arizona sits on the stage before the NBA basketball draft lottery Tuesday, May 14, 2018, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton will act as the team’s representative during the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday, May 14.
He will replace Josh Jackson, who last season attended the event for the Suns as they earned the No. 1 pick, which was later used to select Ayton.
Representing the Phoenix Suns at the 2019 #NBADraftLottery will be @DeandreAyton! #AmplifyYourGame pic.twitter.com/eDAGZv1nTz
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) May 6, 2019
The first four picks of the draft will be drawn based on lottery odds of 14 non-playoff teams, and the remaining 10 will fall into a default order based on worst-to-best record. Phoenix has the third-best overall odds and like the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers holds a 14% shot at winning the lottery.
The prize? Zion Williamson, the 6-foot-6, 285-pound Duke product and clear-cut top talent in the draft class.
After Williamson, Murray State point guard Ja Morant and Duke playmaking forward R.J. Barrett are considered the next-best prospects. Those three players are by no means guaranteed to be available to the Suns.
Each of the Knicks, Cavs and Suns have a 47.9 percent chance of falling out of the top four. Phoenix lost a tiebreaker to Cleveland after the two teams finished the 2018-19 season with 19-63 record and can fall all the way to the seventh pick in a worst-case scenario.
This lottery is the first under a new set of lottery rules formed to prevent teams from actively tanking in order to secure a higher draft pick.
Here is a look at final odds for the top three teams in the NBA Draft Lottery.
| Lottery seed | Team | Record | Odds | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | |||
| 1 |  |
17-65 | .140 | .134 | .127 | .120 | .479 | – | – |
| 2 |  |
19-63 | .140 | .134 | .127 | .120 | .278 | .200 | – |
| 3 |  |
19-63 | .140 | .134 | .127 | .120 | .148 | .260 | .070 |
