Before last night, I was always tongue-in-cheek about the NBA Draft Lottery being rigged. I thought there were some questionable coincidences that worked against my team, the Hornets, far too often—while favoring teams with a successful history or those in desperate need of help. So when those moments happened, I was initially upset and would jump to conclusions, saying the lottery was rigged, even though deep down I didn’t fully believe it.

However, after last night, you cannot convince me the NBA Draft Lottery isn’t tampered with and manipulated in favor of specific teams.

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The fact that the top three teams—the Mavericks, Spurs, and 76ers—jumped the three worst teams of the 2024–25 season (the Jazz, Wizards, and Hornets), and none of those bottom teams ended up in the top three, is far too coincidental. And to top it all off, the Mavericks, who just five months ago made one of the most illogical trades in recent memory—giving up Luka Dončić, a proven young superstar, in exchange for an aging, injury-prone star and a couple of assets from the Lakers—ended up with the No. 1 overall pick.

They had just a 1.8% chance of landing that pick. That was the nail in the coffin. To me, that was the NBA’s way of announcing to the world:

“Yeah, we told the Mavericks to trade Luka to the Lakers so the Lakers could stay competitive. In return, we promised Dallas they’d get the upcoming phenom, Cooper Flagg. What the f*** are you gonna do about it?”*

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I’m sure we’ll hear all the talking heads on their podcasts saying you’d have to be an idiot to think it’s rigged—because of all the statistical improbabilities that would have to line up to make it happen. But we already have proof that the league isn’t afraid to intervene, like with the Chris Paul-to-the-Lakers trade that was vetoed.

To those people, I say: fine. If you want to keep burying your heads in the sand and pretend this is all fair, cool. Whatever makes you sleep better at night. But I’m done pretending. The league clearly has favored franchises where they want success to happen. Washington and Charlotte are clearly at the bottom of that list.

As a Hornets fan, I’m just done caring. This lottery felt like our last hope to get the guy who could finally turn this organization around. It would’ve been a tough pill to swallow if the Jazz or Wizards landed the No. 1 pick—I would’ve accepted that and moved on. But to see these three other teams leapfrog us, especially the one with the most questionable front office decision-making I’ve ever seen, just solidified something for me: the Hornets will never get the No. 1 pick for a generational talent that could finally make this team competitive.

When I saw the Bucks win the championship in 2021, it gave me hope that small-market teams can win it all if they land the right superstar. Now I know that hope was foolish. Even if we’re in the same position next year, with a chance at A.J. Dybantsa or whoever the next “can’t-miss” prospect is, I know we’ll just get pushed aside again. That pick will go to someone else.

I’m at the point where I no longer expect to see this franchise even reach the NBA Finals. I’ll still root for them, sure, but apathy has set in. I’m just not going to waste the emotional energy and time caring as much as I used to.

So what should the Hornets do with this pick?

Only two things come to mind. First, just draft VJ Edgecombe. He seems raw, but he’s a freak athlete with incredible potential. I don’t think he’ll ever be a superstar like Cooper Flagg, but I believe he could become a highly impactful player.

The second option? Trade the 4th overall pick. And the only realistic trade I’d consider is for Zion Williamson. It’s clear things aren’t working between him and the Pelicans. He needs a fresh start. I think he’d be a perfect fit in Charlotte—if he can stay healthy. But maybe I’m being delusional, thinking we can “fix” him.

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I thought about diving into the history of the NBA Draft Lottery and all the conspiracy theories surrounding it, but there are already countless videos and articles that break it all down better than I ever could. Still, last night alone should be enough to convince anyone with a brain that the lottery is rigged.

And there’s not a damn thing anyone can say to change my mind now.

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