With the draft approaching, what LA plans to do with their two picks is still in the air. While there have been speculations that Rob Pelinka might use one of those picks to select Bronny James, nothing is set in stone. And there is a slight chance that their only first-round pick might even get stolen away from them by the New Orleans Pelicans, courtesy of a deal they made back in 2019. But the Lakers will get a clear path to acquire LeBron’s son after the Pels’ latest update.

When the Lakers made the blockbuster deal to acquire Anthony Davis five years ago, they also gave up their three future first-round picks to the Pelicans. While two of those three picks have already been used by the Pelicans, they still have one more pick they can take from the Lakers. However, according to the latest report by veteran insider Adrian Wojnarowski, they are planning to defer the Lakers’ first-round pick until next year. That means Rob Pelinka will likely have his 17 pick intact to make the final choice about Bronny.

Meanwhile, the Lakers also have a late second-round 55 pick in next month’s draft. And to inform the league of their intentions, the Pels have until Saturday midnight. Unlike last year, this year’s draft lacks star power. Moreover, the Pelicans have their original 21 pick to select a decent rookie from this year’s pool. So, it is understandable why they might want to wait another year to exercise their final Lakers’ pick and possibly get a chance to select from a better and more talented pool of players in 2025.

The Lakers get a fallback option with NOLA’s plan

The Pelicans’ plan to defer the pick could be a blessing in disguise for Rob Pelinka and Co. because now, they have a chance to select two young prospects in this year’s draft, with one being Bronny James. Although Bronny has shown great promise in the pre-draft processes, especially during the Combine in Chicago, there is a chance that he might not be able to keep up with the pros in the NBA. In that worst-case scenario, the Lakers can choose to waive him and still keep developing the other rookie they draft next month.

So, that gives the Lakers an option to fall back on and correct their mistake in case they make any. Meanwhile, there is a very high chance that the Lakers will now pick Bronny because as per NBA Insider Shams Charania, out of the ten workout invites that Bronny has received so far, he has only accepted the ones by the Lakers and the Suns. So, Bronny has his priorities clear. Moreover, his agent Rich Paul has made it clear that Bronny will not be picking up any two-way deals. With the Pels likely to let the Lakers have their two picks, it really seems like the stars have been aligned for Bronny to team up with his father and start his NBA journey in LA. Do you agree?

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow in what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.