The Los Angeles Lakers now have a first-round pick the team can use to add a young prospect or as a trade piece in an effort to add another star player.
The New Orleans Pelicans could have taken the Lakers’ first-round pick this year, No. 17 overall, as part of the 2019 Anthony Davis trade, but opted not to do so. Instead, the Pelicans are opting to take the Lakers’ selection in next year’s draft, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The team has until 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday to officially notify the league of its decision. But ESPN reports that Pelicans VP of basketball operations David Griffin has already informed Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka of the move.
ESPN Sources with @DraftExpress: The New Orleans Pelicans are planning to defer the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick until 2025, clearing the way for LA to select 17th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Pick conditions were part of the Anthony Davis trade in 2019.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 31, 2024
The Lakers now have the Nos. 17 and 55 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. New Orleans still has the No. 21 selection in the first round.
Deferring to next year is probably the smart move for New Orleans. The 2025 draft class is expected to be much more talented, led by Duke‘s Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper from Rutgers and French guard Nolan Traore. Regardless of whether the Pelicans are in position to take one of the top stars, the overall pool of talent will be deeper.
Yahoo Sports NBA draft analyst Krysten Peek has Miami‘s Kyshawn George ranked as the 17th-best player on her 2024 NBA Draft Big Board. In his freshman season with the Hurricanes, the 6-foot-8 guard averaged 7.6 points, three rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 41% on 3-pointers.
In her latest mock draft, Peek projected Duke center Kyle Filipowski to go at No. 17. But that was presuming the Pelicans would be making the selection. Now the Lakers have an additional piece in this year’s draft to pursue Donovan Mitchell or Trae Young, as rumored.
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