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The Lakers are going to keep hold of the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, as the Pelicans are choosing to defer the first round pick they are owed by the Lakers as part of the Anthony Davis trade to next year. This pick will give them the opportunity to draft Bronny James in the first round to avoid him getting picked by another team in the second round of the draft.
ESPN Sources with @DraftExpress: The New Orleans Pelicans are planning to defer the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick until 2025, clearing the way for LA to select 17th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. Pick conditions were part of the Anthony Davis trade in 2019.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 31, 2024
The Lakers have been the team most strongly linked with drafting Bronny James, to no one's surprise. With LeBron James being the centerpiece of the Lakers, and him stating multiple times his desire to play with his son, the Lakers were always the favorites to land Bronny in the draft.
While other teams such as the Suns and Warriors have been linked to Bronny, the Lakers are perhaps the only team that is willing to prioritize acquiring James in the draft. And this pick gives them the perfect chance to select him without any stiff competition.
Many draft analysts have stated that Bronny is not a high-level prospect in this year's draft, which meant that most teams with a high lottery pick wouldn't go for him unless they felt they had a strong chance to land his father LeBron in free agency.
Bronny himself has also helped narrow down which teams could realistically pick him, as he turned down private workouts with almost all NBA teams, except the Lakers and the Suns. While the Suns can't pay LeBron James his expected salary in free agency, there is a chance that they draft Bronny James anyway to try and lure LeBron.
Will Bronny James Succeed With The Lakers?
Barring any surprises, Bronny James will be a Laker next season. While the Warriors are interested in landing him in the second round, and the Suns are an outside option, there is little reason to expect the Lakers to forgo the chance to select Bronny with the 17th overall pick in the draft.
Being selected at 17 will be way higher than initial projections made regarding Bronny. Many analysts expected him to be a second-round pick, as he doesn't have the size and skill set to be a lottery pick. Many expect this to be the case because he is the son of LeBron James.
For the most part, Bronny has said all the right things, as he wants and expects to be treated like any NBA prospect, noting that he hopes that teams will draft him for the player he is rather than who his father is. However, there is no avoiding the elephant in the room. And Bronny wouldn't be in such deep consideration to be a draft prospect were it not for his father.
It was recently revealed that 37% of bets on the drafts have Bronny James going first overall this year. While that is highly unlikely, it does speak to how much teams are considering drafting him this year, and how fans perceive his attempts to enter the league.
More must-reads:
- Spurs, De’Aaron Fox agree to four-year max extension
- Lakers insider updates LeBron James' immediate future
- The 'NBA playoff point-per-game leaders' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
The 'Most made three-pointers by NBA season' quiz
Happy 24th birthday to Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards! The first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has lived up to the billing so far in his young NBA career, taking the Timberwolves from a 23-win team in his rookie season to back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances. While Ant-Man hasn't been able to make to the NBA Finals yet, he has already earned himself a reputation as a giant slayer in the postseason, topping Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Steph Curry in his playoff career. Which brings us to today's quiz. Edwards came into the NBA as a freak athlete, but has since added a dangerous three-point shot to his game, leading the NBA with 320 made triples in 2024-25. With that being said, how many of the league leaders in three-pointers made for every season since then can you name in five minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
Milwaukee Brewers: Nestor Cortes Gone, Standout Rookie 3B Has Emerged as Gem from Would-Be Lose-Lose Trade
Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes was the centerpiece of the Milwaukee Brewers‘ return haul from trading co-closer Devin Williams to the Yankees last December. Eight months later, Cortes is a member of the Padres, logging all of two starts in Milwaukee before injuries sapped his season. Over in New York, Williams lost his closer’s job, got it back, and has had one good month en route to a 5.04 ERA. Without the other part of Milwaukee’s incoming package, then minor-league third baseman Caleb Durbin, the trade would look at this juncture like a lose-lose scenario. Thanks to Durbin, it’s been anything but for the Brewers. Caleb Durbin is Milwaukee Brewers’ diamond in the rough Durbin didn’t make the spring training cut. Instead, the Brewers went with fellow rookie Oliver Dunn as the team’s starting third baseman. Durbin went down to Triple-A Nashville. Dunn didn’t last. After he struggled through the first three weeks of the season, he and Durbin switched places and the latter hasn’t squandered his shot. Following a slow start, he’s turned up the heat at the dish while playing outstanding defense. He’s had an OPS around .800 for over two months now and has his season slashline up to .263/.344/.372. His 2.2 WAR in 86 games played is tied for 10th among all third basemen, making him one of the position’s more valuable players. The Brewers saw plenty of promise in Durbin when they traded for him, coming off a strong season with New York’s Triple-A affiliate. Even though he didn’t, he was a decent candidate to make the team out of spring. The team likely didn’t see a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate, which he is. By WAR, he and Braves catcher Drake Baldwin have contributed the same value to their teams, more than any other NL rookies. Cortes, on the other hand, was supposed to be a consistent cog in the rotation. Last year for the Yankees, he made 30 starts and recorded a 3.77 ERA. Instead, he’s still making his way back from injury ahead of start number three this season. In San Diego. Of course, Milwaukee did turn him into outfielder Brandon Lockridge, who will provide depth while Jackson Chourio is hurt. To dump Cortes’ salary, however, they had to attach a prospect, infielder Jorge Quintana. Neither Cortes nor Williams has been what the receiving team hoped. Both will be free agents this offseason. Only the Yankees, however, are at risk of walking away empty-handed. With years of team control remaining, the Brewers have in Durbin what looks to be their third baseman of both the present and future. The trade didn’t deliver according to expectations, but it’s hard to be too upset with the results.
Chargers, Cowboys Connected In Micah Parsons Trade Rumor
Micah Parsons officially requested a trade, and every single team in the league should have some interest in acquiring the superstar. A four-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro, Parsons is one of the best players at one of the game’s premier positions and, now entering his age-26 season, should have several years of elite play left in his tank. Players like this usually earn record-setting contracts, and Jerry Jones does not seem willing to hand out that kind of money. With this in mind, Bleacher Report‘s Alex Kay proposed a trade where the Cowboys will trade Micah Parsons to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for two first-round picks, a second-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and running back Najee Harris. “Parsons, meanwhile, would help L.A.’s already impressive defense be even better, potentially for longer,” Kay writes. “While the Chargers still have a high-profile pass-rusher in Khalil Mack, he’s 34 and set to play on a one-year deal. With $32 million in cap space, the Chargers could afford to make Parsons their long-term defensive star.” Chargers, Cowboys Connected In Micah Parsons Trade Rumor Micah Parsons may have requested a trade, but as of this posting, the Cowboys do not seem interested in granting his wish. This is par for the course with Jerry Jones, as the owner has a long, detailed history of drawing out these types of negotiations. He did it with quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and history could be repeating itself with Parsons. However, for the sake of argument, let’s assume the Cowboys eventually decide to trade Micah Parsons. If this happens, they should be happy with this type of return. The Khalil Mack trade is the closest comparison to Parsons, and the Raiders parted ways with him and a 2020 second-round pick for two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick. This is roughly an equivalent value to what Kay offers in his article, so it’s easy to see Dallas pulling the trigger on this Micah Parsons trade. However, it would probably need to happen before the start of the regular season, as Najee Harris is a part of the deal. While he’s just a throw-in, the running back is currently playing on a one-year deal, and his value depreciates by the week. Would the Chargers Do This? Micah Parsons is a phenomenal player, but would the Chargers give up this much in a trade for one player? While we’ll never know for sure, the Chargers are the type of team that could make this risk. Head coach Jim Harbaugh brought this team to the playoffs last year, quarterback Justin Herbert is one of the game’s top talents, and the roster is loaded with talent. This team may be one piece away from a Super Bowl, and Parsons could take them to the next level. The Chargers have a strong team, but they need an influx of talent to overtake the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. A Micah Parsons trade could be the missing piece this team needs as they finally look to go on a deep playoff run for the first time since the Philip Rivers days.
MLB Legend: Reds Must Do ONE Thing for Elly De La Cruz to Become a Superstar
On Saturday and Sunday, the Cincinnati Reds got the national spotlight at Bristol Motor Speedway for Major League Baseball's Speedway Classic. The Reds rarely get to play on national television. In fact, they have not been on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball since 2016. In the Fox pregame show on Saturday night, MLB analysts Derek Jeter and David Ortiz had high praise for Elly De La Cruz. “This is a kid, that is so much fun to watch,” Ortiz said. “You don’t see his name out there so much because he’s not playing in a big market. If he’s a guy that played for the Yankees, the Dodgers, even the Red Sox, he’d be on TV every day. And the most important thing, he’s a great kid.” A two-time All-Star, De La Cruz continues to make his mark as one of the game’s most dynamic players. But because he plays for a small market team like the Reds, he doesn't get the recognition he would if he played for the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, or some other big market team. Jeter thinks the Reds can do something to help De La Cruz get the recognition he deserves. “This is what I hope. I hope for the baseball world, the Cincinnati Reds, whether it’s this year, next year, they need to get into the postseason so the rest of baseball world can watch. Because he’s fun to watch and like you’ve said, a lot of people don’t know about him. He’s sort of flying under the radar. He’s someone that everyone needs to see,” Jeter added. Consistently reaching the playoffs would go a long way in helping De La Cruz and his teammates get more national recognition. The Reds have made the playoffs just two times since 2013 and have not won a playoff game since 2012. The Reds are 58-54 and currently sit four games back of the San Diego Padres for the third and final National League Wild Card spot. You can read Awful Announcing's full article here.
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