The silver lining of the Los Angeles Lakers missing the playoffs is that they get to take part in Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery. LeBron James and Co. have a small chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick but unfortunately for them, even if they do, this pick will be sent over to the Pelicans.

The Pels sent out a special shoutout to the Lakers hours before the lottery. New Orleans obviously has a lot riding on the Lakers' fate on Tuesday night so they made sure to wish LA a bit of luck (h/t New Orleans Pelicans on Twitter):

“Wishing our friends at the Lakers the best of luck in the NBA Draft Lottery tonight! 🙏” read the tweet. 

The Pelicans fought their way to the playoffs and booked the No. 8 seed via the Play-In tournament. They were eliminated by the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round, but they obviously had a far better season than the Lakers.

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Peter Sampson ·

Reggie Miller saying "Shai scorchin' the Pels!" with Shai shooting over Herb Jones

Chris Dodson ·

Graphic: David Griffin and Trajan Langdon saying "We're waiting" while Brandon Ingram looks dejected (head down) in the background. Maybe add 0-2 to show Pelicans are down in the series.

Chris Dodson ·

https://open.spotify.com/episode/34ocYBAYRNQiTnnPfkOCwr?si=432c452219574b0d

The fact that the Pelicans decided to use a Brandon Ingram clip in their shoutout above is no coincidence. They acquired the All-Star swingman from the Lakers in 2019 as part of the Anthony Davis blockbuster trade. Apart from Ingram, the Lakers also sent Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and De'Andre Hunter to New Orleans. The package also included three future first-round picks, with one of them being a 2023 first-rounder.