New Orleans is being strategic with their picks from the Anthony Davis trade.
The Los Angeles Lakers ended their 2023-24 season with a first-round playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets. Los Angeles is revamping their roster in hopes of future improvement.
Anthony Davis, the star center who came to LA via trade in 2019, is at the center of discussions before the NBA Draft but not as a moving piece. The New Orleans Pelicans are making plans for a pick they received from the Davis trade ahead of the June event.
The Pelicans are planning to defer Los Angeles’ first-round round pick until the 2025 NBA Draft, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. This clears the way for the Lakers to select 17th overall in 2024’s draft. The move makes sense given that pick considerations were a part of the 2019 Anthony Davis trade.
2019 Anthony Davis trade.
Furthermore, Los Angeles also owns the 55th pick in the draft. The Pelicans have until 11:59 ET on Saturday to inform the league of their intentions, per Wojnarowski. The pick is the final of three first-rounders the Lakers owed to the Pelicans for the Davis trade.
It seems that New Orleans values the 2025 NBA Draft talent more than 2024. It will be interesting to see what players their LA picks produce for them in the future.
