Winners and losers of the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery

The 2019 NBA Draft Lottery is over, and now the draft order is set for June 10. Here are the biggest winners and losers of the draw thanks to the new lottery odds.

The flattened odds in the NBA Draft Lottery were expected to even things out a bit, and they certainly didn’t disappoint in that regard on Tuesday night.

In the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, the “tankers” went unrewarded for their miserable seasons, while three teams in the middle of the pack shockingly moved into the top four selections, adding spice to a lottery system that’s long been under scrutiny.

Though the conspiracy theorists were out in full force when both the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers landed in the top four spots, the Knicks actually fell from the best odds at the No. 1 overall pick to No. 3 in the pecking order, and even the Lakers’ rise to No. 4 was stopped behind the Knicks, the Memphis Grizzlies and the big winners of the night, the New Orleans Pelicans.

Despite facing an imminent trade situation with Anthony Davis this summer, the Pelicans got a massive reprieve by moving all the way up to the first overall pick despite only having a six percent chance of doing so.

Meanwhile, bottom-feeders like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls all fell three spots, respectively, as they were jumped by the Pelicans, Grizzlies and Lakers. With Zion Williamson being the ultimate prize at the top, those drops couldn’t have stung more.

Now that the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery is over, it’s time to take a look at the biggest winners and losers of the night.