Ball Durham
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Duke Basketball: New Orleans Pelicans win chaotic NBA Draft Lottery

By Kevin Connelly

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum speaks at the start of the second round during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum speaks at the start of the second round during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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The New Orleans Pelicans have won the NBA Draft Lottery and are the clear favorite to pick the Duke Basketball star Zion Williamson.

Well, that was a chaotic mess for about twenty minutes in Chicago.

The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, and New Orleans Pelicans were the last four teams standing. Many thought were claiming the NBA Draft Lottery was rigged before the last four envelopes were even opened.

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Those claims quickly went out the window after the Los Angeles Lakers received the No. 4 overall pick and the New York Knicks received the No. 3 overall pick.

It was then down to Memphis and New Orleans and the No. 1 overall pick now belongs to the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Chicago Bulls had the best chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick and Zion Williamson but the Cavaliers will be picking fifth, the Suns sixth, and the Bulls seventh.

Williamson is the wildly considered No. 1 overall pick and the Pelicans have had its fair share of chaos and controversy recently regarding its star Anthony Davis requesting a trade and then basically packing it in for the season, playing Davis sparingly, or not playing him at all.

The Pelicans hired a new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations in David Griffin and he is demonstrative that he has many plans for the future of the organization and many of those plans include Anthony Davis.

While the Knicks may have missed out on Zion Williamson, there is a strong possibility that New York will have a chance to select R.J. Barrett at the No. 3 overall pick

Cam Reddish could potential land with the Bulls at No. 7 or the Atlanta Hawks at No. 8.

The NBA Draft Combine is set to begin tomorrow, May 15, in Chicago and the NBA Draft is set for June 20 in Brooklyn, New York.

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