On Nov. 11, the 2-10 Los Angeles Lakers had the worst file within the NBA. Less than a month later, on Dec. 7, the New Orleans Pelicans took over the No. 1 seed within the Western Conference. Both groups would transfer across the standings a good bit even early on, however typically talking, there was a sentiment for the primary two months of the season that the Lakers had been going to be among the many NBA’s worst groups when the season ended and that the Pelicans had been going to be amongst its greatest.
This was a crucial improvement early on as a result of New Orleans, because of the Anthony Davis commerce, has the fitting to swap first-round picks with the Lakers within the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft. That draft occurs to incorporate Victor Wembanyama, arguably the very best prospect to return to the NBA since LeBron James. Once the Lakers received the championship in 2020, it grew to become unimaginable for them to lose the Davis commerce, however had they handed the Pelicans Wembanyama on a silver platter, it will be arduous to argue that New Orleans hadn’t not less than come out of it as co-winners. Given the turmoil Lakers administration has confronted over the previous few years, that form of embarrassment may have been disastrous.
That made Tuesday’s Lakers victory over the Pelicans considerably symbolic. Less than per week in the past, the Lakers handed the Pelicans within the standings for the primary time all season. New Orleans clawed it is manner again to a tie with Los Angeles forward of Tuesday’s sport, however with their victory, the 34-35 Lakers now sit a full sport forward of the 33-36 Pelicans.
The Lakers at the moment are 9-4 for the reason that commerce deadline regardless of having James for under three of these video games. The Pelicans, in the meantime, at the moment are 10-24 since New Year’s Eve and trending within the mistaken path. Zion Williamson could or could not return this season. Brandon Ingram is coping with an ankle damage. Their offense as a complete ranks twenty seventh within the NBA over the previous two months, which is even worse than the tanking Rockets. The Lakers have the NBA’s best remaining schedule. New Orleans is about to embark upon the best four-game stretch on its slate (Rockets twice, Spurs and Pelicans), however after that, the Pelicans is perhaps underdogs in all of their remaining video games.
You can by no means say by no means within the fashionable NBA. That is particularly true within the flattened lottery period. But with the Lakers thriving regardless of the absence of James and the Pelicans reeling with no Williamson return in sight, it is beginning to change into clearer and clearer that the nightmare situation through which Los Angeles sends Wembanyama to New Orleans can in all probability be put to mattress. As it stands, the Lakers are at present seeded ninth within the Western Conference, placing them two play-in wins away from falling out of the lottery solely. Even if they continue to be there, no play-in group can have odds higher than 2% of really successful the lottery.
The likeliest consequence, at this second, is that the Lakers and Pelicans stay the place they’re. Not solely would New Orleans miss out on a doubtlessly excessive Lakers choose, however their slide would be sure that the Lakers themselves preserve a comparatively worthwhile mid-first-round choose whether or not the Pelicans train their swap or not.
New Orleans can nonetheless be ok with the haul it acquired for Davis within the grand scheme of issues. Ingram has grown into an All-Star as a Pelican. Josh Hart was a crucial commerce element that introduced them C.J. McCollum. The Lakers gave the Pelicans the No. 8 choose in final yr’s draft, which they used on Dyson Daniels, and New Orleans will get yet another choose within the deal, which can are available both 2024 or 2025 (the Pelicans have the fitting to decide on which yr).
But, on this small manner, the Lakers can breathe a sigh of aid. They should still have a methods to go earlier than they’ll get again into the championship image, however not less than they’ll sleep simple figuring out that the chances of them sending the very best prospect in a technology to New Orleans have slid nearly all the way down to zero.
