The Washington Wizards season was lost from the jump as the team put together a historically bad year in not only franchise history, but the NBA as a whole.
Washington experienced many ups-and-downs throughout the team's long season, but it's clear that with a 17-61 record there were far more downs than their were ups.
The team and their fanbase have experienced a lot this season. From saying goodbye to players they entered the season with, to welcoming new players, the city of Washington and their beloved NBA team have had quite the roller coaster ride.
Through it all, the most promising thing for the Wizards this season was having the ability to allow their incredibly young roster to work through their growing pains under first-year head coach. Obviously, having a poor record and missing the postseason is not the goal, but in the first true season of their long-awaited rebuild, the team had little to no expectations heading into this season.
Not only did the team have the opportunity to let their young players grow, but they positioned themselves to have a franchise altering offseason depending how the next four games play out for them.
As the regular season approaches an end, here's a look at where the Wizards stand heading into the NBA offseason.
Wizards draft lottery odds take a dive ahead of pivotal offseason
For majority of the season, the Wizards held the league-worst record positioning them to be the team with the highest chances to earn the No. 1 overall pick in upcoming offseason's NBA Draft.
However, down the stretch, Washington's new-look roster and their young rookies decided it would be fun to try and win a few games, which ultimately put them in an interesting spot as the NBA Draft Lottery continues to loom.
Currently, Washington trails the Utah Jazz by 1.5 games in the race for the No. 1 overall pick or also known as the "Cooper Flagg sweepstakes."
Outside of the Jazz, the teams in jeaporady of out-tanking the Wizards are the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans who are technically still in position to overtake Washington's spot behind Utah. However, that would include the Wizards winning their remaining four games (unlikely), while they lose all of their remaining games.
Despite Washington not having the league-worst record, the team's fanbase still has hope as the Wizards remain in prime position to have a chance to earn the top pick.
As long as they remain in the bottom-three of the league, their chance for the top pick will remain at 14% tied with whichever team finishes with the league-worst record according to NBA.com
Draft Lottery Odds for No. 1 Pick via NBA.com:
- Team 1: 14.0%
- Team 2: 14.0%
- Team 3: 14.0%
- Team 4: 12.5%
- Team 5: 10.5%
So to answer the question that everyone is wondering: until another team lands the No. 1 overall pick or Cooper Flagg announces a return to Duke for his sophomore season, the Wizards remain firmly in the hunt for a chance to draft the generational talent.
In other news, the NBA Draft Lottery will take place on May 12th.