NBA Analyst Wonders If Pelicans Will Regret This One Move Which Could Help The Hawks

Will New Orleans regret sending the Hawks the unprotected 2025 draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers?

Mar 18, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

One of the biggest moves of the entire offseason was when the Atlanta Hawks traded guard Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans for a package that included Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, and a pair of first round picks, one of which was an unprotected pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and it belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Hawks did not have their own 2025 pick thanks to the original Dejounte Murray deal back in 2022 and now they will be keeping a close eye on what the Lakers do this year.

One analyst thinks the Pelicans might come to regret that move due to how strong the 2025 NBA Draft is. Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus listed the move as one of the 10 NBA offseason moves that could go horribly wrong:

"The New Orleans Pelicans may be rooting for the Lakers this season since the team chose to include L.A.'s 2025 first-round pick in its deal to get Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks.

In a draft with Duke's Cooper Flagg and several strong prospects, couldn't the Pelicans have sent a different first (like the Milwaukee Bucks' in 2025 with top-four protection)? The Lakers originally sent that pick to the Pelicans in the Anthony Davis trade, and Los Angeles probably isn't a bottom-feeder this season.

But an injury to one of L.A.'s stars could turn that pick into something special. It probably won't come back to bite New Orleans, but it is a potential regret."

Depending on what your opinion of Dyson Daniels is, the unprotected Lakers pick might be the crown jewel of the Murray trade for the Hawks and it could end up being very beneficial to Atlanta.

First, the Western Conference is loaded and it is no guarantee that the Lakers even earn a play-in spot. OKC, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, New Orleans, Minnesota, Golden State, Memphis, Houston, Sacramento, and even teams like the Clippers and Spurs are going to be vying for playoff spots in the West. You could make the argument that only Portland and Utah are the only teams not capable of making a playoff run in the West. Even if the Lakers stay perfectly healthy, there is no guarantee that they can make the play-in tournament, which would mean that they would be in the NBA Draft Lottery, which will be highly anticipated this year.

While the Lakers are not going to have as poor of a record as Brooklyn, Washington, Portland, Utah, Detroit, and some other likely Lottery bound teams, you can look no further than Atlanta to see what it can mean to just be in the Lottery. Atlanta went into the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery with just a 3% chance to win the top pick and they got it. It is unlikely it would happen again, but in a draft with a prospect that is as hyped as Duke's Cooper Flagg, Atlanta is going to take any extra lottery help that it can get.

The pick could end up as a later 1st rounder if the Lakers make the playoffs, but you don't have to look to hard to see how the Hawks might be the big winners with that pick, even if it is not the No. 1 pick.

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