The race for the draft prospect, Victor Wembanyama, is getting a lot more exciting. There have already been teams who were considered to have a higher chance of being granted the first overall pick in the 2023 draft but there is one team who could join this race as the darkhorse.
Related: NBA teams that are most likely to take Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 draft
Thanks to the lottery pick they received from the Los Angeles Lakers three years ago, the New Orleans Pelicans are hot on Wembanyama’s trail. Because of the blockbuster trade in 2019 which sent Anthony Davis from the Pelicans to the Lakers, New Orleans holds the draft rights for a lottery pick from L.A.. In spite of this, how will this help the Pels in potentially landing the French generational talent?
New Orleans Pelicans’ 2024 lottery pick via the Los Angeles Lakers
According to experts, teams like the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City, and Indiana Pacers have the highest chance of taking the first spot in next year’s draft. However, in this case, New Orleans’ are still surprising hopefuls.
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Nobody would have foreseen that the 2023 lottery pick the Lakers gave up in exchange for Anthony Davis could become a potential Victor Wembanyama pick. At the time, the Lakers won the trade because they immediately won a title the following year. However, if this pick turns out to be Wembanyama, all hell would break loose.
Related: NBA: Why every team wants the French superstar Victor Wembanyama?
The Lakers are underperforming this season thus creating better odds for New Orleans lottery pick in 2023.
If you’re watching NBA games, the Lakers – even with a starstudded cast – looks trash on the floor. Currently, the Lakeshow is 5-11, the 14th team in the West.
With the team’s current underperformance, they are actually boosting New Orleans’ pick. As the ratings are going, this squad is not looking good and may not get better anytime soon.
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The NBA draft lottery is awarded to the 14 teams that did not make the playoffs.
Automatically, they have chance to land the number 1 pick. However, the three teams with the worst records get the benchmark of 14% chance. That being said, if the Lakers fails to reach the playoffs and even more so have the worst record in the West, that means New Orleans would immediately be considered for the projected first overall pick.
Team > Odds for No. 1 Pick
- Team 1 > 14.0%
- Team 2 > 14.0%
- Team 3 >14.0%
- Team 4 > 12.5%
- Team 5 > 10.5%
- Team 6 > 9.0%
- Team 7 > 7.5%
- Team 8 > 4.5%
- Team 9 > 4.5%
- Team 10 > 4.5%
- Team 11 > 1.8%
- Team 12 > 1.7%
- Team 13 > 1.0%
- Team 14 > 0.5%
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