Sonics eyeing top picks in NBA draft lottery

Think about the ramifications.

The Sonics drafted rookie of the year Kevin Durant second overall in 2007 and this year they could select Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley with one of the top two draft selections.

Either option portends a rosy outlook for a team that has won just one playoff series in the past decade and whose future in Seattle is unclear.

"We don't have any control over where we end up [in the draft]," general manager Sam Presti said. "We're confident we'll get a good player and it will be a productive draft for our organization."

The Sonics' 20-62 finish, which was the worst in franchise history and second worst in the league last season, gives them the second-best chance — behind Miami — of winning today's draft lottery at the NBA Entertainment Studios in Secaucus, N.J.

The league has used a lottery to determine the draft order for 24 years and in 1994 switched to the Powerball format in which Ping-Pong balls are randomly selected.

Seattle will be assigned 199 of 1,000 four-digit combinations. About 90 minutes before the lottery is televised, four balls will be drawn to determine a four-digit combination. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The four balls are placed back in the drum and the process is repeated to determine the rest of the picks.

The Sonics have a 19.9 percent chance of winning the lottery, an 18.8 percent chance of drafting second, 17.1 percent chance of picking third, 31.9 percent chance of picking fourth and a 12.3 percent chance at the fifth choice. They can fall no lower than fifth in the draft.

Assistant general manager Rich Cho will represent the Sonics behind the scenes during the drawing and Durant will sit on stage as the winners are announced.

"We have to deal with whatever the pick we have and make the best decision that we can," Presti said.

The Sonics have a better chance of being awarded the fourth pick than the No. 1 pick. But the team bucked the odds last year when it parlayed the fifth-worst record into the No. 2 pick and selected Durant.

Portland, which won the lottery last year and chose center Greg Oden, has just a 0.6 percent of winning the No. 1 today.

Orlando was the last team to win consecutive No. 1 picks. The Magic selected Shaquille O'Neal in 1992 before taking Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway. Two years later, Orlando reached the NBA Finals.

Even if the Sonics get lucky once again, Presti downplayed a worst-to-first turnaround next season.

"Every situation is different," he said. "All you can do is go out and try to put the best basketball team on the floor and make the best decisions that you can."

The Sonics also have the 24th pick in the June 26 draft and four choices in the second round.

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com