The New Orleans Pelicans made one of the more head-scratching moves in recent NBA memory when they sent their unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks just to move up a few spots in the most recent draft. Now, 21 games into the season, that decision is aging like milk in the Louisiana sun.
At 3-18, the Pelicans own the worst record in the league. And while injuries and inconsistency have played their part, the broader issue is this: the Pelicans weren’t close to contending before the season started, and they’re even further now.
Even in a best-case scenario, this team looked like a fringe play-in hopeful. Instead, they’ve bottomed out, and the cost of that gamble could be enormous.
Why? Because that 2026 draft pick they gave up might end up being golden.
Let’s break it down. The NBA’s lottery system, revamped in 2019 to flatten the odds and discourage tanking, still guarantees the league’s worst team a top-five pick.
The second-worst team is locked into a top-six pick. The third-worst?
Top-seven. And right now, the Pelicans are leading the race to the bottom.
That’s significant in any draft year, but in 2026? It’s potentially seismic.
This upcoming draft class is already being talked about in glowing terms by scouts and front offices alike. Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU wing AJ Dybantsa, and Duke forward Cam Boozer headline the group, but the depth goes well beyond those three.
North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, Tennessee’s Nate Ament, and Louisville’s Mikel Brown are all drawing top-three buzz in early evaluations. That’s six players who, in a typical year, might each be worthy of a No. 1 overall selection.
In other words, 2026 isn’t just a strong draft - it could be the draft. The kind that reshapes franchises. The kind where missing out on a top-five pick could haunt a team for years.
And that’s exactly what New Orleans gave away - unprotected. No safety net.
No protections if things went sideways. Which, well… they have.
Now, even if Atlanta doesn't win the lottery outright - and with the new odds system, the worst team only has a 14% shot at the No. 1 pick - they’re still guaranteed a top-five selection. And in this class, that’s a potential franchise cornerstone. For a Hawks team that already boasts a promising young core, adding a top-tier talent from this loaded class could be a game-changer.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans are left to pick up the pieces. The bet they made was that a modest draft-day move would help fast-track their progress. Instead, they might’ve handed Atlanta a superstar.
It’s a stark reminder of how quickly fortunes can shift in the NBA - and how costly a misread on draft value can be.