According to the latest report from well-known NBA reporter Shams Shahania, the Pelicans initially decided to select the Lakers' 2025 first-round unprotected draft picks and let the 2024 first-round picks stay with the Lakers.
As the final piece of the puzzle in trading Anthony Davis, the Pelicans have the right to decide whether to select the Lakers' 2024 or 2025 first-round picks. Whether the Lakers make the playoffs or not, the 2024 first-round pick will have a hard time getting into the lotto zone. Pelican management has reason to expect worse for the Lakers next season, as LeBron James is another year older and the West is more competitive, which is the first reason the Pelicans chose the Lakers' 2025 draft pick.
The Lakers have locked up a play-in spot, with only about a 2.4 percent chance of getting the 14th pick in the first round in 2024. "James is unlikely to leave the Lakers, he will turn 40 in December, and it's unknown whether he will be healthy for the 22nd season of his career, and his athletic form is uncertain." "Aside from James, Davis has played in 74 games this season, and missing more than 20 games next season due to health issues is likely to cause the Lakers' record to drop significantly.
The 2024 draft isn't of high quality and is considered a small year for the draft, and Pelicans scouts haven't found a particularly standout draft player, at least for now, which is the second reason. There are a number of potential newcomers for 2025, including promising young players such as Cooper Flagg, Carman Marouacchi, Ace Bailey and Spanish defender Hugo Gonzalez. Pelicans scouts are scouting players for the 2025 draft, when they have at least two first-round picks, and the Lakers' draft pick is likely to go to the club or even higher. Combine the 2025 draft prospects with the Lakers' decline, and it's easy to see why Pelicans management made this decision.
"Pelicans management doesn't want to help the Lakers make a better deal this offseason, and that's the third reason. "The Lakers plan to pack three draft picks for a big deal, and the 2025 draft picks are much more attractive than they are in 2024. "After the Pelicans take away the Lakers' 2025 first-round pick, Rob Pelinka's trade package on the trade market will not be as competitive.
The Lakers traded Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and three draft picks to Davis, but how far have these players and the players brought in by the draft picks have grown?
Ingram is averaging 24.7 points, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game this season, shooting 49% from the field and 35.6% from three-point range. Hart joined the Knicks and became an excellent 3-and-D player, averaging 9.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, but he was the most important part of the defensive end. Lonzo Ball left the Lakers and played only three seasons and 153 games in total, and his career was basically ruined by injury.
The Pelicans selected DeAndre Hunter with the Lakers' fourth pick in the first round in 2019 and traded him to the Hawks, averaging 15.8 points, 4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game this season, shooting 46.5% from the field, 38.9% from three-point range, and 2.1 from 5.4 attempts per game. The Lakers are the 8th pick in 2022, and the Pelicans selected Dyson Daniels, who played in a total of 117 games in two years, averaging 4.8 points, 2.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game.
The 2023 first-round pick The Pelicans have the right to swap with the Lakers, and since the Pelicans' 14th pick is higher than the Lakers' 17th pick, the two sides did not exchange picks.
The Lakers got Davis and James to win the 2020 championship trophy, and it will be up to the eye to decide whether the huge price paid in the deal with the Pelicans back then was worth it.