The 2021 NBA Draft Lottery is over, and the Detroit Pistons are the winners. They are set to select No. 1 overall on July 29.
There were three other big winners on Tuesday night, though. Houston kept the top-four protected pick that it could have owed Oklahoma City by nature of getting the No. 2 overall pick. Cleveland moved to No. 3, and will get to add another terrific player to its rebuild. The Raptors moved up to No. 4, allowing Toronto to bring an elite talent to its already impressive mix of contract-controlled players.
Why was it so important to be in the top four this year? By and large, NBA sources believe that group to be among the best we’ve seen in a recent draft, with Cade Cunningham leading the way for most evaluators. He’s followed in some order — everyone has a
