Queensland have not offered a state contract to Chris Lynn as Australian states wrestle with how to contract limited-overs specialists.

In the 2018-19 season, Lynn was the leading run-scorer in the JLT Cup, Australia's 50-over domestic competition, making 452 runs at 75.33, including two centuries and striking at 117.70. He was selected in Australia's ODI side for the three-match series against South Africa last November and at the time was seen as a key component to Australia's World Cup chances.

But after modest returns in that series he was dropped from the ODI set-up and was not considered for the World Cup squad and for the 50-over A squad that will tour the UK during the World Cup.

Queensland released their 2019-20 contract list on Wednesday and Lynn was a notable absentee after being a late addition to the list in 2018-19. Bulls' coach Wade Seccombe stated Lynn remained an important part of Queensland's plans for 2019-20 despite not being contracted.

"Chris is very much in our thinking for our one-day set-up in light of his performances last summer and we will work closely with him in the lead-up to the season once again," Seccombe said.

The JLT Cup is expected to shift from a month-long tournament format at the start of the season to being interspersed with the Sheffield Shield across the summer, making it harder for states to predict player availability. Lynn hasn't played a Sheffield Shield match since March 2017, instead opting to focus on playing franchise T20 cricket globally.

ESPNcricinfo is aware of at least one other state that had an issue negotiating a contract with a white-ball specialist for the 2019-20 domestic season. English county cricket has white-ball contracts to allow players to be signed for T20s and 50-over cricket only, but with separate BBL franchises and contracts there is no such provision for Australian states at present under the current contracting system. Non-contracted players can be upgraded to full contracts during the season. Lynn would only need to play four List A matches to qualify for a contract on that basis.

Alister McDermott, son of former Queensland and Australia quick Craig McDermott, has been awarded a contract after three years out of the Bulls squad. Exciting young batsman Max Bryant and left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann have been upgraded to full contracts from rookie deals last year.

Veteran fast bowler Luke Feldman announced his retirement at the end of the Sheffield Shield season while Peter George and Sam Truloff missed out on contracts for 2019-20.

Queensland Men's 2019-20 Squad: Usman Khawaja, Xavier Bartlett, Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Gannon, Sam Heazlett, Charlie Hemphrey, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Alister McDermott, Michael Neser, James Peirson, Lachlan Pfeffer, Jack Prestwidge, Matt Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson, Jack Wildermuth Rookies Blake Edwards, Corey Hunter, Nathan McSweeney, Bryce Street, Connor Sully, Matthew Willans

South Africa's stand-in captain, Sune Luus, has called her bowling attack "the best in the world" and backed them to make a dent in Pakistan's line-up in the five upcoming Twenty20 Internationals between the two sides.

After sharing the spoils in a one-day series that ended 1-1, with the third match tied, South Africa and Pakistan meet in the first T20I in Pretoria on Wednesday, and Luus expected conditions to favour batting.

"At this time of the year, the pitches in South Africa play mostly the same," Luus said. "The three pitches we played on [in the ODIs] were kind of the same. They're just flat wickets. I think we expect the same here. It's going to be a good contest for the batsmen to showcase their talent.

"It's still going to be a bit tough for our pace bowlers, but we know how great they are," she added. "They're the best bowling attack in the world. The way they've stepped up so far has been really good."

South Africa have two bowlers - Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail - ranked among the top 10 ODI bowlers in the world, with Ismail also ranked joint fifth in T20Is. Four of the top five wicket-takers in the ODI series were also part of the home side, and Ismail backed the bowling unit to carry their form into the T20s.

"It's a mindset for us," Ismail said. "I always say it's 80% mental and 20% skill. So for me it's about going out there and quickly getting the change up between the fifty over and the T20s. We love the adrenaline. The girls love the T20 format much more than the ODI stuff.

"I don't want to say too much and give out our secrets, but we'll go out there and work a lot on our variations," Ismail added. "The batters are going to come after us. They always say it's a batter's game, but we bowlers never believe that. We have to go out there and use our variations, and think cricket."

Luus admitted that the tied ODI series was "not ideal", but insisted that her batting unit had regained any confidence they lost after being bowled out for 63 in the opening match. "A positive we can take out of the three games is the way our batters came back in the second and third ODIs. That was brilliant to see, and all of the batters have huge confidence going into the T20s."

The upcoming series marks the latest phase of preparation for next year's ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia, with South Africa keen to begin putting their plans in place for the global showpiece.

The tournament is just over ten months away, and South Africa are aiming to use the series as a platform to evaluate different variations against a plucky Pakistan side - ranked seventh to the Proteas women's sixth place in T20 cricket.

"It's still a bit difficult with injuries, and having to leave Dane van Niekerk out of the side, but we want to get that winning formula and combinations," Luus explained. "Going into these five T20s, it's a good opportunity for us to experiment and to see more or less what the batting line-up will be like and who will bowl where. The World Cup is still a long way away and anything can happen between now and then.

"It's a good opportunity for the girls to showcase their talent and put their hand up for the selectors to say that 'We are here and we are ready for the World Cup'."

Tasmania captain Matthew Wade is set to give up wicketkeeping in Sheffield Shield cricket next season in order to boost his chances of a Test recall as a specialist batsman.

ESPNCricinfo understands that the Tigers inquired with several wicketkeepers around the country prior to the state contract deadline last Friday before ultimately deciding that contracted batsman Jake Doran would be the best pick for the big gloves in Shield games when Australia Test captain and wicketkeeper Tim Paine is unavailable, to allow Wade to play as a specialist batsman for the long-term.

Doran played as Tasmania's specialist wicketkeeper in seven Shield games in 2016-17. He also kept briefly for Tasmania in a Shield game in March. Paine was rested for the match against Victoria, and though Wade kept for the majority of the game, he handed over the gloves to Doran in both innings when he bowled. Doran also kept for the Cricket Australia XI against Sri Lanka in Hobart, with Paine helping him with his wicketkeeping preparation for that game. Tasmania believe Doran could make a good long-term wicketkeeper-batsman at the first-class level. Another Tigers batsman, Ben McDermott, is also capable of keeping if necessary, having kept for Australia at the 2014 Under-19 World Cup.

Wade is likely to continue to keep in 50-over cricket for Tasmania and in the BBL for Hobart Hurricanes, in the same way Peter Handscomb has for Victoria and Melbourne Stars and Cameron Bancroft has for Perth Scorchers, but wants to press his claims to play Test cricket as a specialist batsman.

Wade was selected for the Australia A tours of England after a stunning season where he made 1,800 runs across all three formats, including 1,021 Shield runs at an average of 60.05 with two centuries and eight half-centuries. Shield champions Victoria rated Wade as the best domestic batsman in the country by some margin after he made scores of 137 and 86 against them last season. He was also named Australian Domestic Player of the Year at the Australian Cricket Awards.

But Wade was overlooked by Australia's selectors in January when the Test side was revamped for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka following the 2-1 series loss to India. National chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said at the time that Wade had been batting too low at No. 6 for Tasmania to be considered as a batsman and coach Justin Langer said they continued to view Wade as a wicketkeeper first.

Wade voiced his frustration at that scenario in January on SEN. "That's the reason that I'm getting, that puts me in a position that's quite tough because I don't want to be shuffling players around in the Tassie order just for me to be picked for Australia," Wade said. "I feel like if I give up the gloves completely, go bat at four, it doesn't pan out as well, I feel like the next thing I'll be hearing is I can't be picked as the back-up keeper because I'm not keeping.

"It's a tough situation to be in, I'm not really sure what we're going to do. I'm not going to do it just for my own good."

Wade moved to No. 4 for Tasmania after the BBL and scored 450 runs in eight innings against the Dukes ball playing predominantly as a specialist bat, with the exception of the game Paine was rested for.

Wade and Marcus Harris were the first players since 2014-15 to make 1,000 runs in a Shield season. Only five players have achieved that milestone since 2008. Chris Rogers and Adam Voges both achieved the feat and went on to make five Test hundreds for Australia, and both did so after their 35th birthdays. Michael Klinger scored 1,000 runs in two separate seasons, 2008-09 and 2014-15, but never played Test cricket. He played three T20Is for Australia in 2017.

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke stated as far back as 2012, after Wade's maiden Test century in Dominica, that Wade was more than capable of playing Test cricket as a specialist batsman. "Wadey, if he plays like that, certainly will continue to put pressure on not only the wicketkeeper's spot but a batsman's position too," Clarke had said. "That's something the selectors will have to worry about in time."

But, more recently, former selectors Mark Waugh and Darren Lehmann both referenced Wade's modest overall record for Australia as a reason for him not to be selected again in Test cricket, although both felt he could still be considered ODI or T20I cricket.

Wade made two Test centuries batting at No. 6 as a wicketkeeper in 22 Tests, but only averaged 28.58. He has one ODI century and ten half-centuries in 80 innings, but only strikes at 82.11.

Steve Waugh averaged 28.73 in his first 22 Test matches with just eight fifties and no centuries batting predominantly at Nos. 6 and 7. Waugh only made nine half-centuries in his first 80 ODI innings striking at 73.87, albeit a very different era of limited-overs cricket. Steve Waugh was only 23 at that stage of his career compared to Wade, who is 31.

Mark Waugh has also noted Wade's age as a factor against his future selection. But, for reference, Michael Hussey represented Australia 268 times across all three formats after his 31st birthday, making 10,071 runs, including 18 centuries, in six-and-a-half years of international cricket. Shaun Marsh turns 36 in July and was handed a Cricket Australia contract despite currently only being a one-format player.

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry apologized for cursing in the NBA draft lottery room Tuesday night. But it was for good reason.

Gentry learned that the Pelicans won the right to draft Duke sensation Zion Williamson despite the team having just 6 percent odds to land the No. 1 pick.

"They started calling out the numbers. We obviously got this seed sheet, and I am trying to look through it and find out our numbers," Gentry said afterward. "I find the first number, then the second number and then the third, and I'm like, 'Oh s---.'

"The fourth one comes up, I try to look at all our combinations and then they said, 'The winner is the New Orleans Pelicans.' And I said, 'F--- yeah!' And then I said, 'Excuse me, I'm sorry.'"

Williamson, who averaged 21.8 points and 8.8 rebounds as a true freshman for Duke last season, sat in the front row when the draft lottery took place in Chicago.

The 2019 Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, Williamson was hoping to get selected by the New York Knicks, a source told ESPN's The Undefeated. The final four picks in the draft lottery came down to the Pelicans, Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies. After it was announced the Pelicans landed the top pick, Williamson bolted out of the room without a verbal reaction.

Gentry and new Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin were ecstatic. Both are hopeful that landing Williamson could convince All-Star forward Anthony Davis to rescind a trade demand and play with the heralded youngster and guard Jrue Holiday in New Orleans.

"Guys, the one thing you got to understand is, [Davis] is still on our roster," Gentry said. "He is on our roster. All of that will take care of itself. I'm not worried about it. I know Griff has some plans to talk to him, and it will be fine."

Said Griffin: "I hope we build something that attracts elite players. I want it to be something that people want to be part of. Maybe this jump-starts the process. Elite talent likes to play with elite talent."

Asked on a conference call with local reporters if he would require a "king's ransom" in order to trade Davis, Griffin replied, "From my perspective, I want Anthony Davis to want what we're doing. I want Anthony Davis to want to be part of this. And I'm not focused on much of anything other than, 'Let's get better tomorrow.' If Anthony wants to buy into that, that's fantastic. And if he doesn't, then we'll deal with it when it's appropriate."

Also sitting in the front row at the draft lottery was Murray State point guard Ja Morant, who is expected to be the second overall pick. The Grizzlies landed the second overall pick.

"I really didn't have any [emotions]," Morant told The Undefeated. "I really was just excited to see it all play out with how it went. I'm not disappointed. They still got the same player that is still going to go in and work like I've been doing ...

"I just play my game. I will just try and make an impact. With my [basketball] IQ, I feel like I will be able to make plays for me and my teammates."

ESPN's Mike Triplett contributed to this report.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Curry's hair was quite a bit longer when the Golden State Warriors run of Finals appearances started back in 2015. His body was quite a bit spryer back then, too. But as the NBA world focuses intently on the Warriors' future -- with Kevin Durant approaching free agency -- Curry and his teammates have been looking a lot like the original group that started this dynastic run.

"That's when we first learned to play like this," Curry told ESPN late Tuesday night after scoring 36 points in a 116-94 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. "We're in that flow again."

That flow is what made the Warriors "the Warriors" all those years ago. More than Curry's 3-point shooting or Draymond Green's positional versatility, Golden State's identity was formed by its ability to flow. To move the ball. Make the extra pass. Run off screens. Create a collective energy that overwhelms defenses focused on individual matchups. When the Warriors are humming, it's the basketball equivalent of a great jazz band. Each player has his solo moments to shine, but they have to harmonize and flow together to elevate as a group and win.

Over the five years, all sorts of things have disrupted this flow. Ego, hubris, complacency, fatigue. Some would point to Kevin Durant's individual brilliance as another force that can disrupt. But that would be reductionist.

The Warriors can flow just fine with Durant. They just don't have to.

"Kevin moves well, too," Warriors assistant coach Bruce Fraser explained. "But sometimes he's so good he doesn't have to. You just throw him the ball."

With Durant sidelined with a calf injury the past two and a half games, the Warriors have had to go back to a simpler time. To the way they played before Durant changed the NBA landscape in 2016.

They won the 2015 title playing like this. Then they won a record 73 regular season games in 2016. Curry won back-to-back MVP awards.

It was a hell of a run. The Warriors were fun and new and relatable to kids with Curry as their baby-faced assassin. Winning started to change that reputation. But really it was adding Durant that turned the Warriors into the bully.

The Warriors have never particularly enjoyed being the villain. Their style is joyous, so it hurts their soul to find motivation elsewhere.

And with Durant out these last few games, they've been able to recapture what this used to feel like.

"You see the morale, like everybody's shoulders are up and smiles," Curry said. "Just aggressiveness all over the floor; whether that's setting a screen or swing, swing or cutting hard, all that type of stuff. When you create good shots that way, it's fun for everybody."

Thirteen Warriors appeared in Tuesday's game and all 13 had a positive impact when they were on the floor. Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala were +16, Green, Jonas Jerebko and Quinn Cook were +12, while Curry was +10.

After relying on their starters to play nearly 40 minutes a game in the previous series against Houston, stealing this many minutes from their bench is critical for Golden State. They are still loaded with star power, but the Warriors aren't nearly as deep as previous iterations. So as they go deeper into the playoffs, and the injuries to stars like Durant and DeMarcus Cousins mount, it's critical not to overload the remaining stars.

When the Warriors play with the flow they found in Game 6 against the Rockets, and again Tuesday against a clearly fatigued Portland team, the rising tide lifts everyone.

"You have the capability to expand the bench and fill minutes with guys that are obviously capable, can help us on the floor on both ends," Curry said. "And you see like the confidence that they play with, you know, regardless of what the situation is, that's contagious for sure."

Watching that contagion the last few games has been a pleasant throwback for those who have lived through this entire run. Like smelling cologne you used to love. It'll never smell the same as it did in 2015, but sometimes that whiff is enough.

"That was my favorite game since I've owned the team -- other than the championships," Warriors owner Joe Lacob said of the Game 6 win in Houston. "I always put Oklahoma City, 2016, Game 6. I love that. But this was more of a team victory. So... I've actually decided that was my favorite game."

And that feeling, that style of play continued on Tuesday against the Blazers.

"In the Clippers series, the narrative was that [Durant] is the greatest player in the world, this is Kevin's team. Now it's Steph's team. I don't view it that way. We're a team. The word should be T-E-A-M," Lacob said. "When we beat LeBron, 3 out of 4 times. When we go up against Harden and Houston.

"It's team, versus individual. It's team, versus isolation. That is really the story."

After what has been a chaotic start to the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers were one of the big winners in Tuesday's NBA draft lottery, and they could parlay their new fourth overall draft pick into a potential trade for an All-Star.

An ecstatic Rob Pelinka, the Lakers general manager, said the team will either draft an impact player or try to see what it can get on the trade market after the team surprisingly leaped from 11th to fourth overall.

"This is a powerful asset for us," Pelinka said on a conference call. "We owe a commitment to our fans to have an outstanding season next year. What this does is it gives us the ability to either select an impact player at [No.] 4 or possibly use this as an extremely valuable asset in trade."

The Lakers are fixated on landing another max free-agent star to help LeBron James, and they could have $32.5 million to use in free agency.

Prior to the trade deadline this past season, Pelinka and the Lakers had been focused on trying to strike a trade for New Orleans' Anthony Davis. Now Pelinka has the fourth overall pick as well as a young core of up-and-coming players in Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart.

This is the fourth time in five years that the Lakers will pick in the top four of the lottery after having the second overall pick in 2015 (D'Angelo Russell), 2016 (Ingram) and 2017 (Ball). ESPN's Jonathan Givony has Vanderbilt's 6-foot-3 guard Darius Garland, Virginia's 6-foot-8 defensive forward De'Andre Hunter, Texas Tech's 6-foot-6 guard Jarrett Culver and Duke's 6-foot-9 forward Cam Reddish listed after the top three prospects.

"I think it's an extraordinary shift for us," Pelinka said. "I mean, top-five picks in the draft, if you go back in the history and study them, those picks can alter and impact franchises. This is a big moment for us. Last year, of course, we had to go through some hard and difficult things that this is certainly a great silver lining. Our dedication is really toward our fans right now and doing all we can to deliver a really special Lakers season for our fans."

This was certainly a win for the Lakers in what has been a tumultuous offseason for the franchise. Magic Johnson stunned the NBA world by stepping down before the Lakers' regular-season finale and that was followed by Luke Walton's exit and a failed contract negotiation with Ty Lue. Earlier this week, the Lakers hired Frank Vogel as their new head coach and added Jason Kidd as an assistant.

"The biggest motto is just laser focus, head down, do the work," Pelinka said in his first comments since the season ended on what the past month has been like for him and the Lakers. "And I think that we've been trying as an organization to just be methodical and continue a path forward and doing the work ... to make the Lakers a successful organization for our fan base, and that's really the course and the path that we've been on. This is just a burst of goodwill for us as a franchise and it just gives us some excitement and a nice launching pad going into next year."

"I had asked my son, who is 11... what should I bring to the draft lottery for good luck," Pelinka added. "He said, Dad, just bring some optimism. He said the world needs more optimism."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry scored 36 points and tied his career playoff high with nine 3-pointers in Tuesday's 116-94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night at Oracle Arena.

As the Warriors continue playing without star forward Kevin Durant (strained calf), Curry's teammates believe that his 33 second-half points in Game 6 of Friday's series-clinching win at the Houston Rockets helped set the tone for his performance in Tuesday's victory.

"I think it had a huge impact," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "Just as a player, you want to keep that roll. You try to feed off that momentum from the last game and carry it over, and he came out from the gate aggressive. Also, understanding that Kevin is out and [Curry] is going to be even more important in our offense, and he came out with that mindset and he got it rolling from the gate."

Curry's final line of 36 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and a steal marked the 22nd time in his career that he had at least 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a postseason game, according to ESPN Stats and Information research. Only Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James (45) has more since Curry's first playoff appearance in 2013.

"It helped," Curry said of the carryover from his Game 6 effort in Houston. "I know what I'm capable of on the floor, and the situation calls for me to be a little bit more aggressive, and hopefully, that will continue.

"Obviously, it's nice to see the ball go in. I didn't shoot the ball well for four and a half games in the last series and got on to a good start tonight. Want to maintain that. Every game is different. You have to reestablish yourself, and that's my perspective, no matter how I play."

Blazers coach Terry Stotts chafed at the notion that his team should trap Curry more, but the reality for the Blazers is that Curry repeatedly got open looks as the Portland big men dropped lower in coverage.

Curry made more uncontested 3-pointers (seven) than the Trail Blazers (five) did as a team in Game 1.

He took four shots after the defender went under the screen, his most shot attempts in that situation in any game this season. He was 2-for-4, with all of those shots coming on 3s, according to ESPN Stats and Information data.

"Steph got free and had a big night," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. "And carried us at times, and obviously, that was a big part of the game.

"I also thought the key stretch for us was the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. You know, they made it a six- or seven-point game to start the fourth. Portland made a really good run at the end of the third, and our bench came in, did a fantastic job getting us the lead back up to about 12 or so, before we went back to our starters. So, great job by our bench."

Curry's performance was even more impressive, given that he did it against his brother, Blazers guard Seth Curry. The pair became the first brothers in NBA history to play against one another in the conference finals.

It's a moment that Stephen didn't take for granted, as he looked up in the stands to see his parents several times during the game. Dell and Sonya Curry sat about halfway up the lower bowl at center court, wearing jerseys that were made up of half of Stephen's No. 30 Warriors jersey and half of Seth's No. 31 Blazers jersey.

"We've been talking about it for the last couple days, about how special it is," Stephen said. "Obviously, we've played plenty of games now on the same court, and you understand what that vibe is like. But on this stage, trying to chase a Finals appearance, it's pretty surreal. I think I caught myself a couple times looking up in the stands at my parents, who did the whole coin-flip thing, and they can't help themselves. So, any time either one of us did something good, they both were clapping. So, they got to fix themselves.

"I told my mom, 'Who are you with?' When I made a shot, I saw her stand up and cheer, and I saw her in all-Portland gear. It's just weird. It's probably more nerve-wracking for them in terms of just trying to get settled into what this series is going to mean."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The strategy of defending Stephen Curry was a testy subject for Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts after the Golden State Warriors star torched the Blazers 116-94 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

After Curry scored a game-high 36 points Tuesday night, Stotts responded with dry sarcasm when asked if he considered utilizing traps like the Houston Rockets did in the previous round instead of having the big man drop back in pick-and-roll coverage.

"I can't remember -- when he had 33 in the second half, were they trapping then?" Stotts said, referring to Curry's performance in the Game 6 win to close out the conference semifinals against the Rockets. "They were? And he scored 33 in the second half? OK, yeah, we'll look at that."

Portland is certainly searching for solutions after Curry matched his career playoff high for made 3-pointers with nine on 15 attempts in the Western Conference finals opener. According to ESPN Stats & Information tracking, seven of the 3s Curry swished were uncontested shots.

"That was very poor execution defensively on our part," said Portland point guard Damian Lillard, who scored 19 points but was only 4-of-12 from the floor and committed seven turnovers. "Just having our bigs back that far; understanding the team we are playing against, they are not going to shoot midrange jumpers and try to attack the rim. If they see the opportunity to shoot a 3, they are going to tell you. They shoot it at a high clip. We've got to bring our guys up and run them off the line, and tonight, they were setting solid screens and coming off shooting practice shots.

"That's the last thing we need if we want to have any chance to beat this team."

Center Enes Kanter confirmed that the Blazers' game plan against Curry was for the on-ball defender to fight through screens while the big man dropped back in coverage.

"In the fourth quarter, we kind of changed it," Kanter said. "But I think it's going to change in the second game."

While Curry finished the second round with a flourish -- scoring all 33 of his Game 6 points in the second half, including 23 in the fourth quarter -- he struggled for most of the series against the Rockets. Curry had a particularly poor shooting series, hitting only 40.3 percent of his shots from the floor and 27.9 percent from 3-point range in the West semifinals.

Curry had no such problems Tuesday night, when he picked Portland apart, going 12-of-23 from the floor, dishing out seven assists and committing only one turnover.

Figuring out better ways to contain Curry will be one of Portland's primary focuses during the day off before Game 2.

"Anything but what we did tonight," Blazers guard CJ McCollum said.

CHICAGO -- For months, the New Orleans Pelicans have had only one path forward: trade superstar Anthony Davis and hope the return is good enough to navigate a successful rebuild. After landing the No. 1 overall pick and the right to draft consensus top prospect Zion Williamson, however, the Pelicans have a very valuable commodity in the NBA: options.

New president of basketball operations David Griffin has already pushed back on the notion that a Davis trade is a foregone conclusion.

"We have a long, successful history with Klutch Sports," Griffin said last month. "Rich Paul and I have spoke about Anthony. We are both excited about what we could potentially build here."

That comment was largely accompanied by shrugs. What else was Griffin supposed to say?

But then the Pelicans jumped from the seventh spot to the top of the lottery on Tuesday. Suddenly, Griffin's comment is a lot more interesting. Teams around the NBA hoping to land Davis via trade now have one 6-foot-7, 280-pound reason to wonder how available Davis might actually be as he enters the final season of his contract.

After the Pelicans cratered out of the playoff hunt and sold key players at the trade deadline, it was hard to see how Davis could stay. But Williamson's arrival should at least give Griffin a plausible argument to sell that there's something worth building in New Orleans.

Williamson and Davis complement each other perfectly. Davis' ability to step away from the basket would give Williamson room to dive as a roll man. It also opens up devastating possibilities of pick-and-roll situations with Zion and AD (good luck stopping that). Defensively, Davis' combination of size and length and Williamson's ridiculous athleticism would allow New Orleans to guard virtually any team.

Meanwhile, a triumvirate of Davis, Williamson and Jrue Holiday would be the foundation of a team that can compete in the Western Conference once again. One of the league's most underrated players, Holiday is a borderline All-NBA guard and a top perimeter defender.

If the hard sell works on Davis, not only would New Orleans celebrate that by giving AD a supermax deal on July 1, but that also would create ripple effects across the rest of the league. Teams such as the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers -- all of whom have been linked to Davis -- would have to move on in their pursuits of franchise-changing superstars. That development could alter where the NBA's many star free agents wind up this summer.

But if Davis isn't interested in staying, that isn't all bad news for the Pelicans. Griffin could turn around and trade both AD and Holiday for a treasure trove of young players and picks to use to rebuild around Williamson and his rare gifts.

One hypothetical: Davis gets traded to the Celtics for a package built around Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart, and Holiday is flipped to the Pacers for Myles Turner and more pieces. The Pelicans would then be stacked with young talent in Williamson's age range.

Over the next several weeks, we'll see how the Pelicans' future plays out. But for a franchise that since January appeared to have a bleak future, a few pingpong balls changed everything -- no matter what Anthony Davis decides.

Twins catcher Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer and tagged out the Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani trying to score the tying run in the eighth inning of Minnesota's 4-3 home victory on Tuesday, but Garver suffered a left high ankle sprain on the latter play.

Garver, a breakout performer this season with a .329 batting average, took in Byron Buxton's throw and applied the tag on Ohtani, then had to be helped off the field without putting weight on his left leg. Garver's foot twisted awkwardly as Ohtani slid into his leg. The catcher was replaced the next inning by Jason Castro.

Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said the team would know more about Garver's prognosis following additional testing on Wednesday.

"Probably not in as much pain as I was expecting,'' Baldelli said. "But anything beyond that is speculation.''

Garver homered in the third inning to give Minnesota a three-run lead behind Kyle Gibson (4-1). It was Garver's ninth homer of the season, and the ball traveled to the second deck in left field.

"You can't fake what he is doing,'' Baldelli said of Garver. "He sees the ball. He makes great decisions on a pitch-to-pitch basis. He has tremendous at-bats. When you have at-bats like that and have a good, short stroke, it's a good combination -- and that's what he's working with.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.