The 25 Smartest Lottery Picks in NBA History

From James Harden to Kobe Bryant.

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Complex Original

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The 2013 NBA Draft Lottery is tonight at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. This is a night where a franchise's fortune can change overnight. The consensus is that this will be a weak draft, but all that means is teams have to get creative and really put their thinking caps on. Maybe somewhere in this draft there's an international stud (like Croatia's Dario Saric), or a kid with a drive and passion to get better. Nerlens Noel is expected go No.1, but we feel like Trey Burke is the best player in the draft. He won the 2013 National Player of the Year and played for the National Championship while Noel sat with a torn ACL. Guys like Penny and Dirk were acquired via draft day trades, while guys like Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce were slept on. So with the Lottery hours away, let's take a look at The 25 Smartest Lottery Picks in NBA History.

*We shyed away from no-brainer picks, so no Shaq and LeBron picks here.*
*The NBA Draft Lottery started in 1984 prior to the '85 season.*
*From 1985-1988 Lottery picks were 1-7. From 1989-1995 Lottery picks were 1-11. From 1996- 2004 Lottery picks were 1-13. From 2005-Present Lottery picks are 1-14*

Written by Angel Diaz (@ADiaz456)

25. Stephen Curry

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24. Vince Carter

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23. Kevin Love

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22. Dwyane Wade

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21. Amar'e Stoudemire

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20. Gary Payton

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19. Pau Gasol

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18. James Harden

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17. Andrew Bynum

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16. Dwight Howard

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15. Ray Allen

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14. LaMarcus Aldridge

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13. Brandon Roy

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12. Damian Lillard

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11. Paul George

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10. Chris Paul

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9. Russell Westbrook

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8. Paul Pierce

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7. Jason Kidd

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6. Grant Hill

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5. Penny Hardaway

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4. Kevin Garnett

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3. Dirk Nowitzki

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2. Scottie Pippen

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1. Kobe Bryant

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