For the 10th time in franchise history, the New Orleans Pelicans will have a top-10 pick in the NBA draft.
Barring a trade, [the Pelicans have the seventh pick](https://www.nola.com/tncms/asset/editorial/3184c8a1-02fc-4129-936f-5766c43455bc/) in the draft that begins Wednesday with the first round and concludes Thursday with the second round.
The draft rights to two of the Pelicans’ previous nine top-10 picks (Nerlens Noel in 2012 and Zaire Williams in 2021) were traded away on draft night.
That leaves seven players selected in the top 10 who actually suited up for the franchise. Here is a ranking of those seven players.
**1\. Chris Paul (2005, 4th pick)**
Paul, the only player in franchise history to win NBA Rookie of the Year, will go down as one of the greatest point guards ever. He earned the nickname the "Point God" for a reason. Twenty years later, he’s still considered by most to be the greatest player in franchise history. Paul played six stellar seasons for the franchise, including the 2007-08 season when he finished second behind Kobe Bryant in the MVP race. No player in team history has come closer to winning the league’s most coveted individual award. Paul also made an All-NBA team three times and an NBA All-Defensive team three times. His availability gave him the nod over the second guy on this list.
**2\. Anthony Davis (2012, 1st pick)**
You could make an argument for AD in the top spot. He is the only player in team history to make first-team All-NBA three times. Like Paul, Davis also made an NBA All-Defensive team three times. Davis played seven seasons in New Orleans and led the team to one of its two playoff series victories and its only sweep. The versatile big man’s rocky departure is still criticized by fans, and he remains a villain whenever he returns to the Smoothie King Center. His inability to stay healthy didn’t help his case in this ranking.
**3\. Zion Williamson (2019, 1st pick)**
The Pelicans never have drafted a player with as much hype as the then-18-year-old phenom from Duke. His debut, which was delayed three months, had the Smoothie King Center rocking when he knocked down four 3-pointers in a 188-second stretch. Williamson has been named to the All-Star team twice since he looked into the camera on draft night and said: “Let’s dance.” He’s provided some memorable highlights, but his career has been plagued by injuries in his six seasons. He’s played in just 214 games, the equivalent of just more than 2½ seasons. It’s been a frustrating ride, but the talent is there, which is why new Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations [Joe Dumars is committed to him for another season.](https://www.nola.com/tncms/asset/editorial/8aead765-a4fc-4757-b4bb-4f02303a3e43/) If Williamson ever stays healthy, there is potential to leapfrog the first two guys on the list.
**4\. Dyson Daniels (2022, 8th pick)**
Daniels played just two seasons in New Orleans, but a breakout 2024-25 season with the Atlanta Hawks shows the Pelicans probably hit on this pick. Too bad they didn’t get to stick it out and see the full potential of the guard from Australia. Daniels was voted the NBA Most Improved Player and was a finalist for NBA Defensive Player of the Year this season. His scoring average ballooned to 14.1 points per game after he averaged just 5.8 ppg the season before in New Orleans.
**5\. Buddy Hield (2016, 6th pick)**
Chants of “Bud-dy, Bud-dy” rang out in one New Orleans sports bar when the Pelicans chose the sharp-shooting guard out of Oklahoma. Hield won the John Wooden Award as the best player in college basketball after averaging 25 points in his final season with the Sooners. His time in New Orleans didn’t last long. Hield played just 57 games before being shipped to the Sacramento Kings in a trade that brought DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans. Hield made the NBA All-Rookie team, but he is now with his fifth team (the Golden State Warriors).
**6\. Austin Rivers (2012, 10th pick)**
Nine picks after selecting Davis, the then-Hornets selected the son of Doc Rivers out of Duke. Rivers played 2½ seasons in New Orleans, averaging 6.9 ppg. Rivers became an NBA journeyman, playing with six more teams after he was traded from the Pelicans.
**7\. Jaxson Hayes (2019, 8th pick)**
The Atlanta Hawks picked Hayes with the eighth pick, but his rights (along with the rights for Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Didi Louzada) were traded to the Pelicans. Hayes played four seasons for the Pelicans, with his best year coming in his third season when he averaged 9.3 ppg and 4.5 rebounds. That’s still a career-best scoring average for Hayes, who just finished his second season with the Lakers.
The Pelicans will add another name to this list Wednesday night. Where will that player's name end up on this list?
Time will tell.