With just a 1-in-25 chance of keeping the team’s first-round pick during Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery, it came as little surprise that the New Orleans Pelicans will convey that selection to the Sacramento Kings, the final piece of the DeMarcus Cousins blockbuster trade from three months ago.
Based on the outcome of the lottery, Sacramento will take over New Orleans’ spot in the first round of the June 22 draft; the Kings will pick No. 10 overall. That was the Pelicans’ pre-lottery slot, after finishing the 2016-17 regular season at 34-48.
New Orleans entered the lottery with a 4.