Former NBA guard Jeff Teague suggests draft lottery is fixed

Former NBA guard Jeff Teague is raising eyebrows with his latest comments, suggesting the league’s draft lottery may not be as random as advertised.

Speaking on his podcast, Teague pointed to several high-profile outcomes over the years that he believes are more than coincidence, including the recent scenario involving the Mavericks landing the No. 1 overall pick despite long odds after a turbulent season.

“There’s no way,” Teague said. “You trade Luka, AD get hurt, everything goes bad… then all of a sudden you get Cooper. Everybody calm down? Come on, man.”

Teague went on to cite other notable lottery results, including the Bulls landing hometown star Derrick Rose in 2008, and the then-New Orleans Hornets securing the top pick and selecting Anthony Davis after trading away Chris Paul.

He also referenced one of the most famous conspiracy theories in league history, the idea that the Knicks were steered toward Patrick Ewing with the No. 1 pick in the inaugural lottery in 1985. That theory, often referred to as the “frozen envelope,” has never been proven but continues to resurface in NBA circles.

Locally, Cleveland fans have long pointed to the Cavaliers winning the 2003 lottery and selecting LeBron James, an Akron native, as another example that raised eyebrows at the time.

To be clear, there has never been any evidence that the NBA draft lottery is rigged, and the process is conducted with oversight and transparency measures in place.

Still, Teague’s comments are the latest reminder that, fairly or not, skepticism tends to follow the league’s most convenient outcomes.