Who Has Had the Most (and Fewest) Top Three Picks?

The Jazz haven’t had many chances to draft in the top three spots. (Martinez/Getty)

Championship teams require several elements to come together. Good ownership, good management, good coaching, and good talent. They also need a little luck from time to time. Good talent can acquired through trades and free agency, but often a high draft pick can change a franchise’s course for a decade.

Here’s a look at how many top draft picks have gone to NBA teams over the past 40 drafts (1983-2022). I ranked them by top 3 picks, giving 5 points to #1, 3 points to #2, 1 point to #3. This isn’t perfect, as there were only 24 teams in 1983, but it gives a broader idea of which franchises have had the most attempts at turning a top three selection into an All-Star.

1. Philadelphia 76ers (28 points) – “The Process” helped Philly wind up with the most points: ten top 3 picks in 40 years. They made it to the NBA Finals with Allen Iverson, and while things didn’t work out with Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, they’re still going strong with 2014 No. 3 pick Joel Embiid. Philly also won the championship in 1983, so their massive draft capital came more recently.

2-T. Cleveland Cavaliers (26 points) – The Cavs finish this high from landing the #1 overall pick five times, more than any other franchise in 40 years. Two of those No. 1 picks (LeBron James and Kyrie Irving) united to bring the Cavs their sole championship, and a third #1 pick (Andrew Wiggins) was traded to help Cleveland form its “big 3” by acquiring third star Kevin Love from the Wolves.

2-T. L.A. Clippers (26 points) – The main reason they’re this high is because former owner Donald Sterling was notoriously cheap and didn’t care about winning. Former no. 1 pick Blake Griffin had a good run marred by playoff upsets, but the Clippers tended to trade away their best players for future picks for a long time. They’re the highest team on this list to never make an NBA Finals appearance with all that top-end draft talent.

4. Orlando Magic (23 points) – They landed Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, and both men got their team to the Finals, but neither stuck around long enough to allow them to build dynasties. One of the biggest roller-coaster franchises out there.

5. Houston Rockets (20 points) – Houston’s two rings within this window can be directly attributed to them drafting Hakeem (then Akeem) Olajuwon with the top pick in 1984. I’d rank Olajuwon as one of the top 15 players of all time. They also enjoyed perennial playoff appearances behind Yao Ming, the #1 pick in 2002.

6. Chicago Bulls (19 points) – Two of their top-3 picks were NBA MVPs: 1984’s #3 Michael Jordan and 2008’s #1 Derrick Rose. MJ got the Bulls six banners, and when he left, the cupboard was bare enough that several more high draft picks came through Chicago.

7. Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats (17 points) – They’ve never really been able to capitalize on the assets they’ve accumulated over the years. Their sole #1 pick – Larry Johnson – got them to the second round once, but he’s probably remembered more for his days as a Knicks star.

8. Memphis/Vancouver Grizzlies (16 points) – The Grizzlies have the most #2 picks of any team the past 40 years, including three years in a row, when they drafted Mike Bibby, Steve Francis and Stromile Swift. They became a more stable organization once they moved to Memphis. Still looking for that first NBA Finals appearance.

9-T. Brooklyn/New Jersey Nets (15 points) – All of their top 3 picks came before the move to Brooklyn, in part because they keep trading away their picks to collect All-Stars, like Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett, James Harden, and so on. Their New Jersey heyday with Jason Kidd — culminating in two straight NBA Finals appearances — wouldn’t have happened without #1 pick Kenyon Martin’s contributions.

9-T. Minnesota Timberwolves (15 points) – One would think a team that’s only been out of the first round once in its entire 33-year existence would be higher on the list of frequent top-3 drafters, but no matter how bad the supporting cast, you’re not going to miss the playoffs much with NBA MVP Kevin Garnett, who was actually not a top 3 pick. But now Minny is poised for perennial playoff appearances with #1 selections Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.

11. Milwaukee Bucks (13 points) – Their two #1 picks since 1983 (Glenn Robinson, Andrew Bogut) were better suited as supporting players rather than the focus of the team, as witnessed by Bogut’s defensive anchoring of the Warriors’ 2015 championship. The Bucks finally went to the playoffs after Ray Allen joined the team via a draft-night trade (he was #5 that night). In fact, Bogut never did make an All-Star team.

12. Washington Wizards (12 points) – Their two #1 picks are very different stories:  Kwame Brown (2001) never panned out, and John Wall (2010) is a 5-time All-Star who was derailed by injuries. The end result is another team to never get past the conference semis in the lottery era.

13-T. Golden State Warriors (11 points) – When you think of the times the Warriors were good, you don’t think about their top 3 picks — unless you think about how they traded away #3 Penny Hardaway for Chris Webber. The faces of the franchise in different eras – Chris Mullin and Steph Curry – were both 7th picks.

13-T. San Antonio Spurs (11 points) – The Spurs’ success as a franchise is impressive considering they’re middle-of-the-pack when it comes to top-3 selections, but that’s mostly because no one has capitalized better on their two #1 picks. David Robinson and Tim Duncan. The Twin Towers. The Admiral (and #3 pick Sean Elliott) kept them credible until Duncan showed up to put the over the top. Five championships with Duncan. Not bad.

15-T. New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets (10 points) – The youngest franchise already has had two #1 picks in Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson. Interesting how health has marred both of these two obviously super-talented men.

15-T. Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder (10 points) – They haven’t had a #1 pick in this range, but their #2 picks (Gary Payton, Kevin Durant, Chet Holmgren) are nothing to sneeze at.

17-T. Detroit Pistons (9 points) – They’re not very good right now, but Detroit has largely been a well-run franchise. The Bad Boys dominated the 1980s and won two championships, and even the 2004 championship team had a #2 pick (Darko Milicic) they famously did not need. In between there you had #3 Grant Hill keeping them in the playoffs.

17-T. Indiana Pacers (6 points) – All three of their #2 picks came in the 1980s (Steve Stipanovich, Wayman Tisdale, Rik Smits) with each one better than the one before him.

17-T. Los Angeles Lakers (9 points) – The Lakers don’t need high draft picks ever since Magic Johnson (who predated this exercise), but it helps. During Kobe Bryant’s final years and then retirement was when they were at their worst, and they drafted D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, and Lonzo Ball with three straight #2 picks. All three have since been traded, with two of them in the package for Anthony Davis that brought them the bubble championship. So it all works out for L.A., right?

17-T. Sacramento Kings (9 points) – The Kings are this low because they were awesome during the Chris Webber years, but also because in their down years they keep winding up with picks in the #4-8 range. Their one #1 pick (Pervis Ellison) was traded away after one year.

21-T. Phoenix Suns (8 points) – The Kevin Johnson years, the Steve Nash years, the Chris Paul years. They haven’t missed many playoffs, and when they did, they got the #4 pick twice in a row before they landed #1 pick DeAndre Ayton, who was integral to their making the 2021 Finals.

21-T. Portland Trail Blazers (8 points) – It’s a testament to how well their franchise is run that they’re this low and their only top-3 picks in this time period both having their careers cut short by injury: 2007 #1 pick Greg Oden and 1984 #2 pick Sam Bowie. They’re better off drafting lower, like with Damian Lillard (#6) and Clyde Drexler (#14).

21-T. Toronto Raptors (8 points) – They and the Vancouver Grizzlies joined the league the same year, but the Raptors had earlier playoff success, and at least they can say they have a championship. Their sole #1 pick (Andrea Bargnani) came from a largely disappointing draft, but was a fine compliment to Chris Bosh until he was dealt.

24-T. Atlanta Hawks (6 points) – No #1 picks for them, and they used their sole #2 on Marvin Williams, when Deron Williams and Chris Paul were the next two on the board. But they shouldn’t find themselves back in the Top 3 for a while now that they have Trae Young, whom they traded down for after landing the #3 pick.

24-T. Boston Celtics (6 points) – They had a #1 pick once but traded down for Jayson Tatum at #3. Their only #2 pick? Len Bias. Apparently #3 is Boston’s lucky number.

24-T. New York Knicks (6 points) – They took Patrick Ewing #1 in the draft that hastened the lottery era, and more recently they selected R.J. Barrett at #3.  They’ve traded a lot of picks over the years and landed several times in the 4-8 range when they missed the playoffs.

27-T. Dallas Mavericks (3 points) – Who needs picks when you have Dirk Nowitzki? And now they have Luka Doncic, so they should see the playoffs every year this decade too. Their sole top-3 pick was #2 Jason Kidd. Not bad.

27-T. Denver Nuggets (3 points) – They haven’t had the #1 or #2 pick, but they’ve had #3 three times, using them on Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Raef LaFrentz, and Carmelo Anthony. No championships for this franchise yet; they’re one of the last ones who has never made a Finals appearance.

27-T. Miami Heat (3 points) – They’re one of the younger franchises, and their only top-3 pick in club history was 2008 #2 Michael Beasley. They’re just very well run and in an enviable market.

30. Utah Jazz (2 points) – That’s right. The Utah Jazz are dead last — no 1st or 2nd picks in this span. They have drafted third twice — Deron Williams in 2005 and Enes Kanter (now Freedom) in 2011, both with picks acquired via trade. Making the playoffs that often will do that to a franchise.