In case you missed it, the New Orleans Pelicans have clinched a spot in the NBA play-in tournament.
They won’t be happy with just that, so their work is not done yet, as they would still love to close strong, win two games in the play-in and make the real playoffs.
One team that definitely won’t be making the playoffs is the Los Angeles Lakers, who were eliminated from the play-in tournament.
Aside from that fact being HILARIOUS, it also helps the Pelicans, who get to keep the Lakers’ pick if it falls in the top-10.
In case you are wondering, the Pels also have a swap with the Lakers next season that is looking pretty great, and get their unprotected pick in either 2024 or 2025, so while Lakers’ fans were smugly celebrating their bubble title and gloating over the Anthony Davis trade, the Pelicans were quietly collecting their future.
It is now all but guaranteed that the Pels will get to keep their pick in 2022:
The Lakers are officially eliminated from play-in contention at 31-48.
— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) April 6, 2022
With Wizards win tonight and Knicks win Sunday, neither can finish with 48 losses.
That means the Pels will have no worse than the 8th-best odds with the Lakers pick.
Pick has a 99.6% chance to go to NOLA.
So what would the Pelicans do with that draft pick anyway?
2022 NBA Draft: Pelicans lottery odds by pick
It’s possible the Pels will have a dream scenario unfold in the 2022 NBA Draft, as they not only have a great chance at the Lakers’ pick, but also get to keep their own pick if it happens to fall in the top-4.
But even if the Pels end up sending their own pick to Portland, the Lakers pick has the following odds (as of today):
- #1-6%
- #2-6.3%
- #3-6.7%
- #4-7.2%
- #8-34.5%
- #9-32%
- #10-6.8%
- #11-.4%
So the Pelicans would not only have a 99.6 percent chance of keeping their pick, they would have a 26.2 percent chance of it landing in the top-4 of the draft.
The Pelicans will have a chance to add another elite talent with that pick whether it is in the top-4 or not, and if they choose not to use it, the pick will be a huge asset in any potential trades.
New Orleans is already a talented team that has gotten even better since the addition of CJ McCollum and will move up another tier when they finally get Zion Williamson back.
The Lakers being eliminated would be worth celebrating either way, but especially when it potentially sets up the Pelicans for the foreseeable future.