Other than delaying it until 2025, the New Orleans Pelicans have three options with a Los Angeles Lakers 2024 NBA Draft pick.
With two draft picks in a 2024 class that most people agree is unimpressive, the New Orleans Pelicans are well-prepared for the NBA trade deadline. The organization’s choice is likely to postpone the Los Angeles Lakers’ selection until the highly anticipated 2025 NBA Draft.
But given the Lakers’ difficulties, it’s hard to overlook other possibilities. That 2024 pick becomes significantly more valuable—possibly even more valuable than a selection the following year—if LeBron James and Anthony Davis are unable to lead a comeback during the second half of the season.
Assigning a suitable value and persuading someone else to assume the risk of that wager prior to the lottery order being established is the issue. Will someone take a chance on the 10th pick in 2024 being a better selection than one in the 20s? In a move made prior to the trade deadline, would the Pelicans even want to forfeit a first-round pick with deferral options?
Due to a few recent events, the value of this specific asset varies greatly. If the front office plays it right, Zion Williamson and the Saints will have a lot more support for a postseason run. If not, they will have missed several opportunities to upgrade and will be left with a non-lottery pick in 2025. For the benefit of pelicans
James has expressed his desire to play alongside his son Bronny James in the past and has a player option for the upcoming season. The NBA scoring champion is starting to exert additional pressure on the Lakers’ front office through soft power tactics. Amidst yet another unsatisfactory season, murmurs of unhappiness are emerging from Hollywood. Los Angeles’ road ahead is about to get more difficult as Rich Paul is already dispelling trade rumors.The Lakers (25-25) are playing .500 ball after 50 games. They have only five home games in February and the league’s ninth-toughest schedule the rest of the season. Their All-Stars are starting to feel the pain of shouldering most of their team’s burdens. They laid claim to the In-Season Tournament title in November, but that run took a major physical toll. For instance, both James and Davis have missed recent games due to nagging injuries. Surprisingly, Los Angeles pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year against the Celtics as James and Davis watched from the sidelines. They still woke up in ninth place in the Western Conference and the injuries are mounting. Jarred Vanderbilt is expected to miss several weeks with aThe Lakers currently own the league’s 12th-worst record and a fall into the bottom-10 is a coin-flip bet. Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish and Gabe Vincent are still weeks, if not months, away from returning. Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura have regressed considerably in 2023-24, especially from three-point range. James and Davis are bruised up but have to slog through seven games until the All-Star break. Three of those games comes at home, but only two are against teams with a worse record than Los Angeles. Another three come against NBA Finals hopefuls, while the Pelicans visit the Lakers on February 9th. Los Angeles having a 26-30 record at the break is a very real possibility. Still, it would be nearly impossible for the Lakers to finish
Once more, delaying Los Angeles’ selection until 2025 makes sense, but it’s still more of a game for New Orleans. It seems like the Lakers never stop improving, and with free agency just around the corner, it’s impossible to predict anything about James. Nevertheless, there are a few reasons why the front office and Griffin would choose to trade the pick or make a decision rather than using it in the future. The Pelicans would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to acquire an asset with somewhat more tangible future value given the likelihood that the 2025 selection will land in the 20s.
This includes making use of your season-long pick privilege. Isaiah Collier may go first overall this summer, according to some mock drafts; other mock drafts have the USC prospect going to the Pelicans at 14. It’s difficult to imagine New Orleans acquiring a better player than Collier in 2025 if Los Angeles does not tank. It’s arguable that taking a chance on Zach Edey this summer at 14th overall is preferable to taking a chance on a pick the next year.
At least one other franchise might be considering the same option. Maybe they have a valuable addition that the Pelicans could consider making prior to the postseason. By enticing two teams to compete for the asset, New Orleans can stimulate the market. One group may possess a
Getting another organization to think the Lakers’ 2024 selection has top-10 value is the first goal of Griffin’s sales pitch. It’s not an issue for the Pelicans if Los Angeles regroups this season rather than next summer. In the event that they don’t, Griffin can point to a $6–8 million deal from a valuable veteran player rather than a late-lottery prospect.There are at least seven teams very unlikely to finish with a better record than the Lakers no matter how their season plays out. The Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors are the Eastern Conference tankers. The Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs are bringing up the rear in the Western Conference. The Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks are a few games behind Los Angeles as well. Both franchises are still trying to decide on a direction for the rest of the season. So are the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, but both are fighting for playoff spots. The Utah Jazz are way ahead of their rebuilding schedule and are right on the Lakers’ heels in the standings.“That’s our record. It is what it is,” James said. “We could, at any given night, beat any team in the NBA. And on any given night, we can get our a** kicked by any team in the NBA.”
