Getty Citizen Naismith Men's College Player of the Year nominee Grant Williams of the Tennessee Volunteers greets 2019 Citizen Naismith Men's College Player of the Year Zion Williamson of the Duke Blue Devils signs an autograph during the 2019 Naismith Awards Brunch.
The No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, and presumably the right to select Duke’s Zion Williamson, goes to the New Orleans Pelicans. This is the 1st time the franchise has the top overall pick since 2012, when they selected Anthony Davis out of Kentucky.
The Blue Devils superstar averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks in his one season in Durham. At 6-foot-9, 270 pounds, he hypothetically provides a hyper-athletic and imposing presence to Davis. He also provides a reason for the star center to stay.
Here’s the video of New Orleans front office freaking out in celebration after NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum revealed the news.
Pelicans front office couldn’t be more thrilled about winning the lottery
(via @PelicansNBA)
Davis may no longer be requesting a trade, which he did back in late January. After massive overtures from the Lakers and LeBron James fizzled out, it was expected that the big man would enter trade talks this offseason.
The likely addition of Williamson comes out of nowhere, as New York, Phoenix and Cleveland all had 14 percent chances at the top pick. With this additional news, will Davis stick around.
He was a large part of Knicks rumors heading into Tuesday, which presumed that New York would get the No. 1 choice for the first time since 1985. Per The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania, if the Knicks had won Tuesday’s lottery, they would haved shifted “their focus towards a potential deal” for Davis.
The upcoming days and reaction from Davis will be heavily monitored.