May 15 2019
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The NBA Draft Lottery literally could not have gone better for the New Orleans Pelicans.

For starters, they won the damn thing, earning them draft rights to Zion Williamson. Williamson is the most hyped prospect since Anthony Davis in 2012 (when New Orleans also won the lottery) or LeBron James in 2003.

Just cracking into the top 4 would’ve been a huge win for the Pelicans, as they only had a 26.4% chance of doing so. Winning the whole thing was icing on the cake.

To keep the cake analogy going, there’s an old proverb that says “you can’t have your cake and eat it too”. Well, New Orleans is eating their cake, too.

There was a rumor earlier in the day that the Knicks could look to move Williamson for Anthony Davis if they won the lottery; now, New Orleans has them both (at least for now).

New Orleans offseason originally was centered on trading Anthony Davis. There is now a realistic chance that Davis could retract his trade demand to stay in New Orleans. A Davis, Jrue Holiday and Williamson trio has devastating two-way potential.

Early reports signal Davis has not budged on his trade demand, but Davis has proven to be quite impressionable. Perhaps a meeting with the young phenom could change Davis’ mind.

If Davis still decides he wants out of New Orleans, the Pelicans will likely look to trade him this offseason. The most likely trading partners have always been the Celtics, Knicks and Lakers. The Celtics package remains the centered around Jayson Tatum and additional pieces. But the Knicks and Lakers’ trade packages greatly increased tonight.

With the Knicks landing the third overall selection, they are guaranteed to land one of the second tier prospects in Ja Morant or, most likely, RJ Barrett. It might not be first overall, but that’s a highly valuable trade asset. There was a report that New York could look to flip Zion for AD if they won the lottery; now New Orleans gets both.

The Lakers leaping into the top four significantly improved their trade package. Before, the Lakers offer included Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and salary filler. Now, they can throw in the #4 overall draft pick. It remains to be seen if New Orleans even wants to negotiate with Los Angeles, but LA’s package just got a lot more glamorous.

The day began with New Orleans seemingly weeks away from losing their face of the franchise in Anthony Davis. Instead, they added a new one, Zion Williamson, and have hopes of convincing Davis to stay. If not, their likely trading partners have improved packages to offer the Pelicans. The second Mardi Gras of 2019 has begun in New Orleans.

There’s just one question left to be answered: Does this make up for the NFC Championship game, New Orleans?

Posted inBasketball NBA
Tagsanthony davis los angeles lakers new orleans pelicans new york knicks Zion Williamson