The New Orleans Pelicans have won the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery. Suddenly the future of an organization that had been strong-armed into entertaining trade packages for their franchise pillar has another cornerstone to build around in Zion Williamson.
Two other teams had good fortune today, both the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers vastly improved their draft standing heading into June. The Grizzlies will have a shot at Ja Morant at No. 2 (and thus an existential crisis on their hands with regard to Mike Conley).
The Lakers have crept into the top four and will have a shot at the likes of R.J. Barrett and Jarrett Culver, depending on what the Knicks do at No. 3.
All told, the Lakers climbed seven places in the lottery while the Pelicans and Grizzlies each climbed six. The losers of the day were the four worst teams in 2018-19, all of whom had bad-to-horrible results. The Knicks fell two spots and the Cavaliers and Suns saw their 52.1% chance of a top-four pick evaporate.
Here’s the complete list of the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery order…
No. 1 Pick: New Orleans
No. 2 Pick: Memphis
No. 3 Pick: New York
No. 4 Pick: Los Angeles
No. 5 Pick: Cleveland
No. 6 Pick: Phoenix
No. 7 Pick: Chicago
No. 8 Pick: Atlanta
No. 9 Pick: Washington
No. 10 Pick: Dallas -> Atlanta
No. 11 Pick: Minnesota
No. 12 Pick: Charlotte
No. 13 Pick: Miami
No. 14 Pick: Sacramento -> Boston
Of course the rest of the draft picks have been set since the league broke it’s win-loss tiebreakers last month. Here’s how the back half of the first round will look like…
No. 15 Pick: Detroit
No. 16 Pick: Orlando
No. 17 Pick: Brooklyn
No. 18 Pick: Indiana
No. 19 Pick: San Antonio
No. 20 Pick: L.A. Clippers -> Boston
No. 21 Pick: Oklahoma City
No. 22 Pick: Boston
No. 23 Pick: Utah
No. 24 Pick: Philadelphia
No. 25 Pick: Portland
No. 26 Pick: Houston -> Cleveland
No. 27 Pick: Denver -> Brooklyn
No. 28 Pick: Golden State
No. 29 Pick: Toronto -> San Antonio
No. 30 Pick: Milwaukee
Other Stories From The NBA Draft Lottery:
Draft picks that will and won’t change hands due to previous trades
The financial impact of NBA lottery picks
The newest rules that changed the way the lottery worked
