Nothing changed for the New Orleans Pelicans at the annual NBA Draft Lottery, they'll pick at No. 14, right where they entered.
The Pelicans went into the evening with the slimmest odds of any team to land the top overall pick, and that's what played out. The Pistons were the only team to drop out of the top four and the sweepstakes for French superstar Victor Wembenyama, the presumptive top pick this season. The right to make that selection landed with the San Antonio Spurs.
Here's how the lottery order broke down:
14. Pelicans
13. Raptors
12. Thunder
11. Magic
10. Mavericks
9. Jazz
8. Wizards
7. Pacers
6. Magic
5. Pistons
4. Rockets
3. Blazers
2. Hornets
1. Spurs
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The Pelicans have no shortage of young players they've been incorporating, but the results didn't come with that in the 2022-'23 season, despite a hot start. They fell off late in the year and ultimately lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the play-in tournament.
Early in the year it appeared New Orleans would be sitting pretty, owning pick swap rights with the Lakers. The Pelicans were toward the top of the Western Conference, the Lakers at he bottom for the first half of the year. But the Lakers are currently one of the four teams remaining in the postseason, with their Western Conference Finals showdown with the top-seeded Nuggets kicking off Tuesday evening. The Celtics and Heat face off on the opposite side of the bracket.
The biggest question for New Orleans resides with Zion Williamson, who played well enough over 29 games to be named an All-Star starter, but he finished the season on the bench due to a lingering hamstring injury. Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and a young core of wings that includes Trey Murphy, Herb Jones and Dyson Daniels has a chance to be an effective group to build on. The next addition will, barring any trades, land at No. 14 in the NBA draft.
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