Once the offseason truly begins following the conclusion of the NBA Finals, the first major event to take place will be the 2024 NBA Draft. The Los Angeles Lakers will be armed with two picks this year, one each in the first and second round.
For the first time this year, the draft will take place over two nights, a change from the norm. The draft has been a one-night event, but with the success of the NFL Draft happening over multiple nights, the NBA has followed suit.
And the NBA has officially announced the date and times of both nights of the 2024 NBA Draft, with the first round taking place on Wednesday, June 26 while round two will be the next night on Thursday, June 27:
ABC and ESPN will broadcast the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft presented by State Farm on Wednesday, June 26 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The second round will air on Thursday, June 27 beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App. pic.twitter.com/gi2L2xJgYx
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 3, 2024
The draft itself being broadcast on multiple different channels could mean there will be different teams of analysts and announcers on each channel as well, giving viewers different options. Also, while the first round will be at primetime on Wednesday, the second round will start in the afternoon for West Coast viewers.
The 2024 NBA Draft is not viewed as highly as previous years as it doesn’t have that can’t miss prospect at the top such as Victor Wembanyama in 2023. The top prospects this year are the likes of international players Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher and Nikola Topic as well as UConn’s Stephon Castle and Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard.
Of course the biggest name in the draft is Bronny James, son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, who has seen his draft stock grow, but is still considered by most to be a second-round pick at best.
Lakers will select 17th and 55th overall in 2024 NBA Draft
The New Orleans Pelicans have officially deferred the pick owed to them by the Lakers to next year, which means the L.A. will keep its first round pick at 17th overall for this year’s draft. This is the same choice they had last season when they took guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.
The Lakers will also have the 55th overall pick in the second round of the NBA Draft so the team could add two new players, though the franchise is also expected to explore trades with their picks as well as they look to improve the roster and compete for an NBA Championship next season.
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