The New Orleans Pelicans don't currently have a head coach, but whomever takes over that job will have the No. 10 overall pick to add to their new roster.
That result is where New Orleans was slotted heading into the 2021 NBA draft lottery, meaning they failed to jump into the top-4 selections for which they had a 20% chance.
The Pelicans entered Tuesday's event set for No. 10 in the established order due to a three-way tiebreak loss between New Orleans, The Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls. All three teams finished with a record of 31-41, but the Bulls slotted at No. 8 and the Kings at No. 9.
But that toss didn't affect the odds. All three teams split the chances to jump up into the top 4. The Pelicans had a roughly 4.5% chance to land at No. 1 overall. They also had a 4.8% chance at No. 2, a 5.2% chance at No. 3, and a 5.7% chance at No. 4.
But the overwhelming odds (60.6%) were for the Pelicans to stand pat at No. 10 and they could not land between 5-9 due to the lottery structure. The Pelicans are no stranger to lottery lock, jumping into No. 1 in both 2012 and 2019 despite better, but still long odds. In 2012 they chose Anthony Davis, while they used the top pick on Zion Williamson more two years ago.
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Whomever the Pelicans select in the upcoming draft, they'll be led by a new head coach after the team parted ways with Stan Van Gundy following a tumultuous season marred by the coronavirus pandemic and late-season injuries to a majority of the starting lineup. The core group of Williamson and star swingman Brandon Ingram is likely to remain the same, though the future for some other pieces like point guard Lonzo Ball and 6th man Josh Hart are unclear as they enter restricted free agency.
FULL DRAFT ORDER
No. 1: Detroit Pistons
No. 2: Houston Rockets
No. 3: Cleveland Cavaliers
No. 4: Toronto Raptors
No. 5: Orlando Magic
No. 6: Oklahoma City Thunder
No. 7: Golden State Warriors
No. 8: Magic (via Bulls)
No. 9: Sacramento Kings
No, 10: New Orleans Pelicans
No. 11: Charlotte Hornets
No. 12: San Antonio Spurs
No. 13: Indiana Pacers
No. 14: Warriors
No. 15: Washington Wizards
No. 16: Thunder (via Celtics)
No. 17: Memphis Grizzlies
No. 18: Thunder (via Heat)
No. 19: New York Knicks
No. 20: Atlanta Hawks
No. 21: Knicks (via Mavericks)
No. 22: L.A. Lakers
No. 23: Rockets (via Trail Blazers)
No. 24: Rockets (via Bucks)
No. 25: L.A. Clippers
No. 26: Denver Nuggets
No. 27: Brooklyn Nets
No. 28: Philadelphia 76ers
No. 29: Phoenix Suns
No. 30: Utah Jazz