Bucks lose coin flip, will select No. 17 in 2018 draft
The Milwaukee Bucks lost on Friday -- and benefited.
The NBA held a coin flip to break a tie between the Bucks and Miami in determining the order in this year's draft.
Miami won the flip, meaning the Bucks ended up with the No. 17 overall pick. Milwaukee had traded its first-rounder to Phoenix earlier this season in the Eric Bledsoe deal, but it had been protected if the Bucks finished 1-10 or 17-30 in the draft order.
If Milwaukee had won the coin toss, it would have picked No. 16 -- and had to have conveyed the selection the Suns.
Instead, the Bucks will have a pick in this year's draft. Milwaukee traded its second-round pick to Brooklyn in acquiring Tyler Zeller.
Phoenix will now receive the Bucks' first-rounder in 2019, unless it falls between picks 1-3 or 17-30. If that's the case, the pick moves to 2020 with 1-7 protection and finally an unprotected pick in 2021 failing all else.
