The final piece of the Anthony Davis trade is an unprotected first-round draft pick available to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2024 or 2025.
According to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, NBA insiders expect the Pelicans to let the Lakers keep this year's first-round pick and acquire a 2025 pick.
In a July 2019 trade, the Lakers sent three first-round draft picks to the Pelicans in exchange for Davis: Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart.
These picks were the 4th overall pick in 2019, a top 8 protected pick in 2021 that was not communicated and became unprotected in 2022, a 2023 pick swap, and the Pelicans. was an unprotected pick in 2024 with the option of deferring until 2025. .
It makes perfect sense for the Pelicans to wait for a pick. The Lakers may not make the playoffs this season, but they did earn a spot in the play-in tournament. The current lottery odds have a 97.6% chance of being the 14th overall pick in 2024.
The talent in the 2024 draft class is generally considered not to be overwhelming, at least if you're looking for a star player. Although it's still early days, the 2025 class looks very promising, with players like Cooper Flagg, Carman Maruaha, Ace Bailey, and Hugo González among the top prospects.
When you combine the 2025 outlook with the fact that the Lakers could easily regress, it's not hard to see why the Pelicans would want to wait out things.
It seems unlikely that LeBron James will leave Los Angeles, but he could at least be open to the idea if he declines his $51.4 million option for next season. Even if he returns, he will turn 40 on December 30th. It's great to have a 20-time All-Star selection this season, but unless he retires first, his age-related decline will come at some point.
Davis has already played 74 games with the Lakers and is in the midst of his healthiest season, but it wouldn't surprise anyone if he misses 20 or more games in 2024-25.
Another reason for holding off the pick until 2025 is that the Lakers may want to use draft capital to make a significant trade to upgrade their roster. A 2024 first-round pick may not be as attractive to a team as next year's pick.
