The New Orleans Pelicans will have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2019 NBA Draft. With several studs expected to jump from the college ranks to the pros this summer, including Duke’s Zion Williamson, that is great news for the Pelicans.
However, the reaction to this news in Las Vegas is a bit over the top.
Vegas overreaction?
In case you missed it, the Pelicans were the big NBA draft lottery winners Tuesday night, and Las Vegas immediately took notice.
According to ESPN, New Orleans was a serious afterthought to winning the NBA title next season. How serious? 300/1 serious. Those odds basically tell the public this team has no chance to win the NBA title.
That literally changed overnight.
The Pelicans went from the worst team at 300/1 to one of the top teams at 25/1 according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. Of course, this is all under the assumption that New Orleans is drafting Zion Williamson.
With Williamson possibly teaming up with Anthony Davis, New Orleans should be a much better team in 2019. But with rumors of the Pelicans possibly trading Davis, anything can happen.
https://t.co/fgVRKDLa0J : NBA Title Odds 2020: Pelicans Improve to 25-1 After Landing No. 1 Pick https://t.co/BC3EWTc6Jl pic.twitter.com/mbwdhlrE8L
— BasketBlog.com (@BasketBlog_com) May 15, 2019
Williamson a sure thing?
Zion Williamson going to New Orleans is so guaranteed that the online sports gurus at DraftKings have him listed at -2500.
That means a player has to wager $2,500 to win $100. Could you imagine if the Pelicans go with anyone but Zion? It would cause a true shake-up in the NBA world!
One thing is for sure — the odds of 25/1 on New Orleans is fool’s gold. Even if Zion lives up to the hype, the Pelicans should still be 100/1 or higher at this time of the year.
Las Vegas sports books love the media hype surrounding these types of stories, and it is only going to get bigger as the NBA Draft draws near.