The countdown for the NBA regular season to come to an end is officially in the single digits.
For the Washington Wizards and 13 other teams, they'll be forced to sit at home and watch the top teams in the league face off for a chance to compete in the NBA Finals for the Larry O'Brien trophy,
Fortunately for the Wizards and their fanbase, their offseason may be a bit more exciting than other teams as their chances to earn the No. 1 overall pick continue to rise.
Following their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, the Wizards put themselves in a good position to maintain their ability to stay in the front of the pack in terms of the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.
However, Washington's fourth loss in a row wasn't even the biggest boost to their draft odds. Instead, another team's head scratching end-of-game heroics helped them out majorly.
Jazz OT win helps Wizards majorly
Heading into Wednesday night's NBA slate, the Wizards trailed the Utah Jazz in terms of worst record in the league as Danny Ainge's squad seemed to be pridefully making a run to earn the top pick. Washington had already all but locked in the top odds to earn a top three pick, but they weren't sitting at the very bottom of the standings like they had been majority of the year.
Fortunately for Washington, Will Hardy and the Jazz's young core decided that a outdueling the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime was worth potentially missing out on a generational talent such as Flagg.
Following Utah's win, the Wizards are now officially in sole possession of the league-worst record as they're tied with the Jazz at 17-63 with two games remaining. If both team's lose out, Washington will finish at the bottom of the pack.
Obviously, Flagg has yet to announce his official decision on whether or not he will indeed declare for the NBA Draft after rumors surfaced that the Duke star could be flirting with the idea of running it back in college for another season, especially if the Wizards landed the top spot.
However, with millions of dollars on the line, it's safe to say that Flagg will still heavily consider entering the draft regardless of who holds the top pick, especially when he's all but guarenteed to be the top pick.
As of now, the outcome of Wednesday night's slate worked out perfectly in the Wizards favor.