NBA Draft Lottery Results: Kings’ #14 Pick Goes to Boston
May 15, 2019, 5:55 AM | Updated: 8:14 am
(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Tuesday evening, before game one of the Western Conference Finals, the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery took place, featuring all-new percentage chances at the top picks as adapted by the league last summer. The three worst teams would have the same percentage chance at the number one pick, and only the top four picks would be determined by lottery balls.
Each with a 14% chance at the top pick (Zion Williamson), the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns all ended the night disappointed, as the New Orleans Pelicans, with just a six percent chance at number one, were named the lottery winner. The NBA introduced this new draft lottery percentage system in an attempt to discourage teams from outright tanking for top picks. Based off these results, it looks like it may end up being very effective.
Once again the Western Conference got a leg up on the East, landing three of the top four picks. The Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Pelicans all moved up significantly in the draft, each expected to end the night with the 11th, 8th and 7th picks.
The Sacramento Kings also received great news despite losing their draft pick (#14) to the Boston Celtics as the final part of the painful trade with the Philadelphia 76ers in July of 2015. After a 39-win season, what was expected to be a very valuable pick for either Boston or Philly (who needed the pick to end up #1 in order to keep it), became the last pick in the lottery.
After moving all the way up to two in last year’s lottery, drafting Marvin Bagley, winning the franchise’s most games since 2006, and with the 2019 draft class expected to be pretty weak outside of the top four, things have worked out about as well as Kings general manager Vlade Divac could have asked for.
