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The NBA will hold a drawing today to break several ties in the 2021 draft order, including one that sees the New Orleans Pelicans, Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings in a three-way tie for eighth.
While each of these teams that finished the regular season with identical 31-41 records has a 4.5% chance of landing the first overall pick and 20.3% odds of moving into the top 4 of the 2021 NBA Draft, their tie and others will be broken via coin flips.
Source: coinflips to determine the following tiebreakers for the 2021 NBA draft order will be conducted on Tuesday, May 25 in the early afternoon (ET). Big day for lottery teams. https://t.co/iws03G1jvQ
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 17, 2021
Assuming no other lottery teams (Spurs, Hornets, Pacers, Warriors) sitting behind the aforementioned trio leapfrog them inside the top 4, the Pelicans will learn whether they select 8th, 9th or 10th in the event that the Pelicans, Bulls and Kings fail to move up in the lottery.
Per tiebreaker rules, the order of the second round will be opposite of the first. Thus, if New Orleans was to win the coin flip and get slotted 8th, they would pick 40th in the second round, with Chicago and Sacramento selecting ahead of them at 38th and 39th.
The lottery will take place on June 22 and the 2021 NBA Draft will be held on July 29.
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