Warriors assistant Luke Walton, who was recently hired as the Lakers’ next head coach, was the victim of a cruel prank on Tuesday night during the NBA draft lottery.

Warriors assistant Luke Walton, who was recently hired as the Lakers’ next head coach, was the victim of a cruel prank on Tuesday night.

Golden State’s lead PR man, Raymond Ridder, told Walton that the Lakers had drawn the No. 4 pick in the NBA draft lottery, and Walton totally believed him. Now, this would have had Luke down in the dumps, because his Lakers had the second-best odds at the No. 1 pick, meaning that they were likely to draw No. 2. And anything outside of the top 3 would have meant that Los Angeles lost its pick to the Celtics.

Well, as it turns out, L.A. did, indeed, draw the No. 2 pick, and did not lose it. So the joke’s on Ridder!

The Warriors’ PR staff is widely considered the league’s best, and this is a clear example of its excellence.

– Kenny Ducey