Early in the season, when the Los Angeles Lakers were mired in a horrible 2-10 start, there was fear they would end up giving a very high draft pick this summer to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Per the terms of 2019’s Anthony Davis trade, the Pelicans had the right to swap first-round picks with L.A. this year. When the Purple and Gold struggled in October and November, there was even a bit of fear the pick the team might give up the No. 1 pick overall, meaning it would’ve surrendered the rights to French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
