Jazz win coin-flip tiebreaker, gain edge over Kings in NBA draft lottery
Apr 20, 2026, 3:11 PM | Updated: 3:16 pm
Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy talks with Utah Jazz guard John Konchar (55) during an NBA game between the Utah Jazz and the Memphis Grizzlies at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
(Photo courtesy of Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz won a tiebreaker for draft position on Monday, giving them the edge over the Sacramento Kings in the NBA draft lottery.
The result guarantees Utah will pick in the top eight and can no longer lose its pick to the OKC Thunder.
The @utahjazz won their tiebreaker with the Sacramento Kings.
Utah is now guaranteed a top-8 pick. pic.twitter.com/GwREkR58Wi
— Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) April 20, 2026
What did the tiebreaker decide?
Both the Jazz and Kings finished with a 22-60 overall record, which left the franchises tied for the fourth-best odds in the lottery.
When two teams tie in the lottery, the odds at a top-four pick are split. So instead of a 12.5 and a 10.5 percent chance, both Sacramento and Utah have an 11.5 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick.
These odds were unaffected by the tiebreaker. The coin flip instead decides the worst-case scenario for both teams. The league’s fourth-worst team can only fall as far as eighth, and ninth for the fifth-worst team.
Where is Utah in the NBA Draft Lottery odds?
With the split odds at the top, the Jazz have an 11.5 percent chance at the No. 1 pick, 11.4 percent chance at the No. 2 pick, 11.2 percent chance at the No. 3 pick, and an 11.0 percent chance at the No. 4 pick.
Now at fourth in odds for picks outside of those determined by the lottery, Utah has a 7.5 percent chance at the No. 5 pick, 27.1 percent chance at the No. 6 pick, 17.9 percent chance at the No. 7 pick, and a 2.4 percent chance at the No. 8 pick.
All in all, they have a 45.2 percent chance at a top-four selection. The most likely individual outcome is the sixth pick, and the least likely individual outcome is the eighth pick.
The NBA Draft Lottery will be held Sunday, May 10, in Chicago.
Utah Jazz Draft Lottery History
Since beginning the current rebuild back in 2022, the Jazz have picked at No. 9, No. 10, and No. 5. In each of the last two seasons, they dropped in the lottery and picked later than where their record slotted them.
Utah also dropped in the 2014 and 2005 lotteries. They stayed in place in 2016, 2015, 2013, 2011, 2006, and 2004.
The franchise has only moved up in the lottery once, and that was with a pick acquired from the Brooklyn Nets back in 2011.
