LOS ANGELES -- When the results from the 2015 COMO Draft Lottery were broadcast worldwide on Sunday afternoon, Newport Beach owner and general manager Peter Mayer gave a virtual "thumbs up" to the rest of the league. Several thumbs, in fact. His Grizzlies (17-65 last season) had just won the lottery despite possessing the fourth-best odds entering the ceremony, beating out the lowly Minneapolis Player Haterzz (10-72) and the two yet-to-be-named expansion teams. The winning lottery card was the final step in a tanking plan that began almost immediately last fall. Mayer kept star players Russell Westbrook and John Wall glued to the bench while a ragtag team of hacks slowly descended the standings. "My hard work tanking paid off," Mayer said. "Russell was upset with me when I benched him so much, but John Wall was chill with taking a year off. I think Russ will be happier when we use our cap space on a proven superstar and our first-round pick on [Duke center] Jahlil [Okafor], [Kentucky center] Karl [Anthony-Towns], or [Ohio State guard] D'Angelo [Russell]." While Mayer's plan to land a top free agent will likely work out this summer, drafting a star will be much harder than it seems. That's because Minneapolis holds the right to swap first-round spots with Newport Beach either this year or next, and the time seems ripe for Player Haterzz general manager Dan Renfro to pull the trigger. "He might," Mayer said. "Who knows? I'm moving forward and preparing as if the pick is mine to use how I want to use it. If he wants to trigger the clause, we'll deal with it." Dropping from No. 1 to No. 4 (where Minneapolis currently sits) is a bummer this off-season, as Okafor, Towns and Russell have become consensus Top 3 picks. Unsurprisingly, Renfro seems ready to move up. "This is a pretty perfect situation given the deal," he said, referring to last August's draft day trade between the teams that netted the clause. "(Mayer) didn't even think twice about it, if I remember correctly. He was so desperate to get in to the first round plus I don't think he planned to be awful so it double worked out against him." Renfro is expected to make a decision well before the June 25 deadline. Mayer is ready for it, saying 19-year-old Emmanuel Mudiay would be the primary option at No. 4. "We would also look into moving the pick if the right deal came across the table," Mayer said. "Other players could move up our board as well. All we know is we want to bring a championship to Newport Beach." How soon? "This year." Official 2015 Post-Lottery Draft Order 1. Newport Beach* 2. Expansion A 3. Expansion B 4. Minneapolis* 5. Colorado 6. Duval United 7. Shorewood 8. Minnesnowta 9. Chaska 10. Kansas City 11. Rio ----- 12. Newport Beach 13. Expansion B 14. Expansion A 15. Newport Beach (from Minneapolis) 16. Colorado 17. Duval United 18. Minneapolis (from Shorewood) 19. Minnesnowta 20. Chaska 21. Shorewood (from Kansas City) ----- 22. Expansion B 23. Expansion A
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