Pelicans showing why their future is the brightest in the NBA

New Orleans Pelicans 2023 draft position

In case you didn’t know, the New Orleans Pelicans own a pick swap with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 NBA Draft in addition to owning their 2024 or 2025 pick outright.

Right now, the Lakers are 8-12, two games out of the 10th and final play-in position. There is a still a ton of season left and the Lakers have played better lately, but as it stands, they are the 6th-worst team in the NBA.

That position would give the Pelicans a nine percent chance to get the #1 pick and draft Victor Wembanyama, which would be even more icing on the cake of the Anthony Davis trade.

But even if the Lakers aren’t the worst team, and the Pelicans don’t buck the odds for the number one pick, they would still have a 37.2 percent chance at a top-4 pick and an opportunity to add even more elite talent to the pipeline.

The scary part is that a top-4 pick in next year’s draft (other than Wembanyama) may not even be able to crack this Pelicans’ rotation it is so stacked with talent.

Most teams would dream of having this problem, as the New Orleans Pelicans are set up to win now, but could be even better in the future when some of these young players really start to reach their potential.

It’s a good time to be a fan of the Pelicans.