watch nba draft online free
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How to Watch the NBA Draft Online Free without Cable

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I can watch the 2023 NBA Draft, which will take place in June after the NBA Finals, through various streaming options without needing a cable subscription.

In a hurry? Since the NBA Draft will air on ESPN, you can’t watch it via an antenna. But you can watch the event live with these top live TV streaming services:

  • Fubo: The best streaming service for international sports also provides 150+ well-selected channels. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
  • DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great channel lineup with the best selection of RSNs in the industry. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
  • Sling TV: This low-cost service allows you to select just the channel lineup you want. Save 50% on Sling TV now.

If you can’t watch your favorite sports because of your location, get ExpressVPN to access the content you deserve.

Why You Need a VPN Today

However, first you need a VPN to unblock US streaming services from . Our favourite is ExpressVPN. It’s definitely not the cheapest option at $4.99/month, but it just works – and across all your devices.

They have servers in 25+ US cities/states and 105 countries, which unblock access to premium streaming platforms available only in the US, as well as free “on demand” TV services worldwide.

You’ll have access to local platforms as if you were in the country, meaning you can watch BBC iPlayer as if you were in the UK, CBC Gem as if you were in Canada, plus hundreds more worldwide.

Sign Up for ExpressVPN

Hotdog users get three months free at ExpressVPN, so it’s a “no-brainer” for us. Decide for yourself with their 30 day money-back guarantee.

ExpressVPN

IMPORTANT: Once you’ve installed your VPN and connected to a US server, you’ll still need to subscribe separately to access premium streaming services.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

How the NBA Draft Works

As with most professional sports leagues, the NBA’s draft is set up to most help the strongest teams. But it isn’t just a matter of the worst team getting the first choice and so on.

Instead, the worse a team performed last season, the higher their odds are to get a top pick. The bottom 4 teams all have a 14% chance of getting the top pick. The bottom team will definitely get one of the first 5 picks, the next team will get one of the first 6 picks, and onward.

This lottery applies to the bottom 14 teams. They divide up 1000 chances with the bottom team getting 140 and the top team getting just 5:

  1. 140
  2. 140
  3. 140
  4. 125
  5. 105
  1. 90
  2. 75
  3. 60
  4. 45
  5. 30
  1. 20
  2. 15
  3. 10
  4. 5

The 2022 NBA Draft lottery was held on May 17th and resulted in the following order:

  1. Orlando
  2. Oklahoma City
  3. Houston
  4. Sacramento
  5. Detroit
  6. Indiana
  7. Portland
  8. New Orleans
  9. San Antonio
  10. Washington
  1. New York
  2. Oklahoma City
  3. Charlotte
  4. Cleveland
  5. Charlotte
  6. Atlanta
  7. Houston
  8. Chicago
  9. Minnesota
  10. San Antonio
  1. Denver
  2. Memphis
  3. Philadelphia
  4. Milwaukee
  5. San Antonio
  6. Dallas
  7. Miami
  8. Golden State
  9. Memphis
  10. Oklahoma City

Note that these are not entirely based on placement. Oklahoma City got its 12th pick from a trade with the LA Clippers and its 30th pick from the Pheonix Suns. The New Orleans Pelicans got their 8th pick from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Charlotte Hornets got their 15th pick from the Pelicans. Houston Rockets got their 17th pick from the Brooklyn Nets. San Antonio Spurs got their 20th pick from the Toronto Raptors and their 25th pick from the Boston Celtics. And the Memphis Grizzlies got their 22nd pick from the Utah Jazz.

Watch the 2022 NBA Draft

The 2022 NBA Draft will air Thursday, June 23rd at on ESPN. Most of the major live TV streaming services offer ESPN.

The cheapest way to get access to the NBA Draft is with Sling TV. The Sling Orange plan comes with 30+ channels including ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3.

But if you want a more full-featured streaming service, you have other options:

  • FuboTV: Offers well over 110 channels with a heavy emphasis on sports for $79.99/month. This also includes unlimited cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to 3 devices at once. See our FuboTV review for more details.
  • DIRECTV STREAM: We recommend the Choice plan for $114.99/month because it provides access to pretty much every RSN in the country, which will allow you to watch almost all of the regular season games of your local NBA team. Also comes with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on unlimited devices at once. For more information, see our DIRECTV STREAM review.
  • YouTube TV: Get 85+ channels for $72.99/month with an unlimited DVR and streaming on up to 3 devices at once.

Streaming Services for the NBA Draft

Streaming services are the best way to watch live TV. Instead of signing up for cable, a streaming service offers a similar service for less money with more options. There are a lot of streaming services out there, so if you’re new to streaming this section will tell you more about the benefits of streaming. You’ll learn all about how easy watching TV without cable can be.

  • Pricing: Cable is notorious for its high prices. Many cable packages are over $100 per month and include dozens of channels that you never watch.
  • Contract-Free: Cable companies require you to sign-up contracts — at least if you want anything close to a reasonable price. Gone are those days! Now you can pick any streaming service you want and enjoy their service for as long as you want, without any contracts.
  • Stream on Many Devices: You can watch TV from almost anywhere when you’re streaming. With cable, you’re hooked up to a cable box. Streaming services allow you to watch on a large number of devices. All of the services support Amazon Fire TV, Android mobile, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS (iPhone, iPad), and Roku. Most of the services also support many smart TVs and gaming systems.

Highlights:

  • Watch your favorite channels for less money
  • Enjoy contract-free
  • Many services offer free trials
  • Stream on a variety of devices and watch from virtually anywhere.

Now let’s go over the main live TV streaming services.

FuboTV

fubotv logo

FuboTV offers ESPN, along with a ton of other sports channels including FS1, FS2, CBSSN, beIN Sports, TUDN, Golf Channel, and NFL Network. The basic package includes 110+ channels for $79.99/month. Along with ESPN, some other channels you might have include local channels, AMC, FX, USA, and many other channels.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

  • Get 110+ channels
  • RSNs in many areas
  • No contracts
  • Local channels
  • Watch more content on-demand or with TV Everywhere apps
  • unlimited cloud DVR
  • Stream on 10 devices simultaneously
  • Watch on most devices.

Our fuboTV review is filled with more details. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM offers ESPN, ESPN2, and FS1 in its base 75+ channel plan for $86.99/month. But it’s ~100 channel Choice plan for $114.99/month is far more popular. That is because it provides access to pretty much all of the nation’s RSNs, which are what you need to watch all the regular season games of your local NBA team.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free Trial

  • Get 75+ channels
  • RSNs almost everywhere
  • No contracts
  • Local channels
  • Watch on-demand content with TV Everywhere apps
  • Unlimited cloud DVR
  • Stream on unlimited devices at a time
  • Watch on most devices.

Our DIRECTV STREAM review has more information. New customers get a 5-day free trial with DIRECTV STREAM.

Hulu + Live TV

hulu logo

Hulu + Live TV offers a great option if you’re ready to replace cable. The plan starts with its iconic on-demand plan, adds ESPN+ and Disney+ and tops it off with 85+ live TV channels. You get all that for $82.99/month.

Get Hulu + Live TV Free

  • 85+ channels
  • Hulu on-demand, Disney+, ESPN+
  • RSNs in some areas
  • No contracts
  • Local channels
  • Unlimited cloud DVR
  • Stream on two devices at once
  • Watch on most devices.

Our Hulu + Live TV review can tell you more. Try the Hulu Live free 3-day trial.

Sling TV

Sling TV Logo (2021 100x50)

Sling TV is your best budget streaming option if you want to watch sports without cable. The Sling Orange package includes ESPN and 30+ channels for $40.00/month. If you want more than 30 channels, you can upgrade to the Orange + Blue pack for 50+ channels for $55.00/month. Or you can add channel bundles for as little as $6/mo extra.

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

  • 30+ channels with options for many more
  • No contracts
  • Limited local channels
  • 50 hours of cloud DVR storage
  • Watch on many devices.

Sling TV is what you want if you need an inexpensive package. You can learn more in our Sling TV review. Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV.

Wrapping Up

There are several great ways to watch the NBA Draft online without cable. As long as the service offers ESPN, you’ll be good to go. Many of the packages also allow you to use the WatchESPN TV Everywhere app.

Our top choice is DIRECTV STREAM’s Choice Plan for $86.99/month if you want to watch all the regular-season games. Otherwise, FuboTV for $79.99/month is great. And if you are on a budget, you can’t go wrong with Sling TV for just $40.00/month.

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