The NBA Draft Lottery decided who gets Zion Williamson (or trades away the the pick for Zion) tonight. The New Orleans Pelicans landed the No. 1 pick when the ping-pong balls settled. The Memphis Grizzlies got the No. 2 pick while the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Cleveland Cavaliers follow. After months of building up anticipation, the beleaguered fanbase of the New York Knicks are back in a familiar, hopeless, and angry state.
THE KNICKS DID NOT GET THE NO. 1 OR NO. 2 Pick pic.twitter.com/afdUyAZb4I
Knicks fans going to bed tonight: pic.twitter.com/seSDRiQ3f9
In fact, the Knicks had the best chance at the top pick in the NBA. However, they failed to land either of the top 2 picks. The Cavaliers, who had similar odds, also failed to land a top pick.
Marc J. Spears reports that "Williamson was QUICKLY whisked out of the room after Pelicans were announced the winner of the draft lottery."
Zion Williamson was QUICKLY whisked out of the room after Pelicans were announced the winner of the draft lottery. Source said the former Duke star was rooting to go to New York, but now is going to New Orleans.
This is the first year that the first four picks in the draft were settled via draft lottery. The luck of the draw portion at the top of the draft was expanded to four slots from three last year and fans are watching with extreme interest as the NBA barrels toward one of the most stacked drafts in years. The Knicks had the best odds of landing the pick via the system that the NBA uses to determine entries in the lottery at 14 percent. The Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns had just as much of a chance after all three teams had disappointing seasons.
The Pelicans ticket office went ham after getting the 1st pick because they know they’re about to sell a stupid amount of tickets off Zion alone. #NBALotterypic.twitter.com/XExpbs7ju9
The Chicago Bulls had a slightly less chance of landing the pick at 12.5 percent, with the next three teams in terms of probability being the Atlanta Hawks, the Washington Wizards and the New Orleans Pelicans.
When the Cavs lose 63 games and you still get a top 4 pick over them#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/1FIb71kqWi
Zion Williamson is the consensus projection for the No. 1 pick in the draft, with Ja Morant, and RJ Barrett coming in close behind.
Head here to check out the NBA Draft Lottery results in full.
2019 #NBADraftLottery:
1. #Pelicans⬆️6
2. #Grizzlies⬆️6
3. #Knicks⬇️2
4. #Lakers⬆️8
5. #Cavs⬇️3
6. #Suns⬇️3
7. #Bulls⬇️3
8. #Hawks⬇️3
9. #Wizards⬇️3
10. #Hawks↔️
11. #Timberwolves⬇️
12. #Hornets⬇️1
13. #Heat↔️
14. #Celtics↔️ pic.twitter.com/wkdxoxKH2r