Will Lakers select Bronny James with No. 17 overall pick? How Pelicans deferral could affect LA’s NBA Draft | Sporting News Canada

The Lakers will reportedly be on the clock with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

To no surprise, the Pelicans have decided to defer the first-round pick they acquired from Los Angeles to 2025, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday. New Orleans has until 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 1, to make that decision official with the league office.

The Pelicans received the Lakers’ 2024 first-round pick in the 2019 blockbuster trade that sent All-Star forward Anthony Davis to Los Angeles. In return, New Orleans got Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, three first-round picks and one pick swap (that never happened).

The unprotected 2024 first-round pick is the last of the three, and it came with a deferral option. Why did the Pelicans decide to push the pick back to 2025 and what does that mean for the Lakers? The Sporting News breaks it down below.

MORE: Revisiting the Anthony Davis trade between Lakers and Pelicans

Pelicans-Lakers draft pick deferral, explained

When the Pelicans sent Davis to the Lakers in 2019, it nearly cleaned out Los Angeles’ bank of future first-round picks.

The Lakers’ 2024 first-round pick was the last of the bunch — but it came with a 2025 deferral option. With the Lakers were locked into the No. 17 overall pick for 2024 and a weak NBA Draft class, the deferral gives New Orleans the chance to test its luck with a more talented class in 2025.

The Pelicans reportedly exercised that option Friday, allowing the Lakers to retain their 2024 first-rounder while losing their 2025 first-rounder to New Orleans.

Will Lakers use No. 17 pick on Bronny James?

The answer is likely — but not certainly — no.

Bronny James, son of Lakers star LeBron James, has helped his draft stock since his up-and-down freshman at USC came to a close.

The 19-year-old measured and tested well in front of NBA scouts, executives and decision-makers at the NBA Draft Combine. He also had a strong showing in one of the scrimmages, then parlayed that into a lights-out shooting performance during the Klutch Sports Pro Day at the Lakers’ practice facility.

But even with his value on the rise, it would still be a reach for Los Angeles to take Bronny at No. 17.

There have been reports that the Suns are considering LeBron’s son at No. 22. If that is the case, the Lakers would face the tough decision of keeping their franchise player — who has a player option to potentially become an unrestricted free agent — happy, or doing what’s best for the organization.

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Considering LeBron and Bronny share the same agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, the Lakers will have all the information they need on whether Phoenix is genuinely considering taking the freshman guard in the first round.

If the Suns aren’t planning on taking Bronny, Los Angeles could try and trade back from No. 17 to a more suitable spot to select LeBron’s eldest son.

But New Orleans’ decision to defer the pick shouldn’t have caught anyone in the Lakers organization by surprise. This announcement will likely be business as usual as Los Angeles assesses its 2024 NBA Draft strategy.

Lakers 2024 NBA Draft picks

The Lakers have two picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, one first-rounder and one second-rounder.

Lakers 2024 NBA Draft picks:

• No. 17 overall
• No. 55 overall

In my post-lottery NBA Mock Draft, I had Los Angeles selecting Colorado senior forward Tristan da Silva with the No. 17 pick and Bronny with the No. 55 pick.

Given Bronny’s ascension since his NBA Draft Combine and Pro Day workouts, the Lakers may need to move up from No. 55 if they wish to select LeBron’s son.