Takeaways From the Pelicans Landing the No. 1 Pick

In a surprise twist, the team that landed the No. 1 pick was... New Orleans! There's a good chance that Zion will be a Pelican this summer barring a trade. Still, imagine the pick-and-rolls New Orleans will be running with this match-up nightmare of a duo! As for the aftermath, what was the result of New Orleans getting the No. 1 pick?

• The Lakers Definitely Aren't Getting AD Now (At Least I Don't Think So): The Lakers could've used the No. 1 pick as leverage for getting Anthony Davis in a trade. There was some suspense in that, too! Los Angeles was one of the last four teams in the lottery before the pick eventually went to the Pelicans. Instead, the Lakers will be stuck with the No. 4 pick, where some boards are projecting them to pick Darius Garland. That's not a bad pick, but having the No. 1 pick to either trade or pick Zion with would've made matters better, especially when they're trying to compete with Boston for the Brow's services.
  
• The Knicks Still Are in the Running for KD and Kyrie: Having a trio of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Zion would've been a dream for long-suffering Knicks fans. It would've also given James Dolan an out for his subpar ownership of the franchise. But Knicks fans will likely have to settle for seeing Durant and Irving in Knicks uniforms (if it happens, that is) as the Knicks wound up with the No. 3 pick. R.J. Barrett doesn't sound like a bad option at all.
• The Pelicans Now Have Options: The Pelicans can choose to build around Davis and Zion and form a superteam of their own. After all, having Jrue Holiday and his guard play makes New Orleans pretty damn good. New Orleans could also trade Davis to Boston for pieces like Marcus Smart and give Zion a young core to work with. It's safe to say that David Griffin has plenty of options in front of him and getting the No. 1 pick changed the team's fortunes in an instant.