Key Highlights
- That fluidity, plus the fact that nearly half of the league's franchises don't control their pick, will also play a major role as the NBA trade season heats up. The New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks combine for perhaps the most fascinating storyline to watch in the second half of the season.
- After a draft-night trade in the summer, Atlanta controls New Orleans' first-rounder.
- Will the rebuilding Pelicans attempt a deadline move that improves or hinders the Hawks' chances of selecting top-pick contenders such as Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa or Cameron Boozer?Not far behind is the drama unfolding between Oklahoma City and the LA Clippers, where LA's spiral down the Western Conference standings could add another lottery pick to OKC's treasure trove.
- Thanks to the Paul George trade of 2019, the Clippers owe the defending champions their unprotected 2026 first-round pick. And the impact of potential Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis trades would be felt far beyond the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and the teams acquiring those stars. To help understand what is at stake at the trade deadline and leading into June's draft, here is a breakdown of the most important draft assets this year, the multiyear journeys to their current teams and the future of each pick. It's important to note that, as ESPN's Shams Charania reported in December, the NBA is exploring a rule change that would limit pick protections to either top-4 or top-14.
- The change would help dissuade rebuilding teams from manipulating rosters at the end of the season to keep various protected picks. Seven years later, OKC keeps winning the PG tradeThe journey: How a 2026 unprotected pick landed in OKCRemember the 2019 offseason, when the Thunder traded George to the Clippers for five first-round picks, two swaps, Danilo Gallinari ...
