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• Pelicans acquiring star guard Murray from Hawks

  The New Orleans Pelicans are acquiring star guard Dejounte Murray from the Atlanta Hawks for forward Larry Nance Jr, guard Dyson Daniels and two first-round picks, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.

  The move comes two days after the Hawks selected French prospect Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday.

  According to sources, the picks the Pelicans are sending Atlanta are a 2025 first round pick via the Lakers and a 2027 first round pick, which is the least favorable between Milwaukee and New Orleans.

  Murray, 27, spent two seasons with the Hawks after he was acquired from San Antonio in July 2022 for three first-round picks. He averaged 21.5 points across 152 games with Atlanta, but the team struggled to a 77-87 record and failed to make the playoffs this past season with a 36-46 mark.

  Murray – a 2022 NBA All-Star - averaged a career-high 22.5 points last season to go with 5.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists. He shot 45.9 percent from the field and made a career-high 201 3-pointers.

  He joins a loaded Pelicans team that went 49-33 last season and already has Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.

  Atlanta gets multiple first round picks in the deal along with a young player (Daniels) and a veteran role player (Nance Jr.).

  Daniels was the eighth overall pick in 2022 and averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds last season. Nance is a nine-year veteran that averaged 5.7 points and 5 rebounds in 61 games last season for New Orleans.

• Immanuel Quickley to remain with Raptors on $175M deal

  The Toronto Raptors agreed to a deal to keep guard Immanuel Quickley on a five-year, $175million contract, multiple media outlets reported Friday.

  No new contracts can become official until after the league’s transaction moratorium ends on July 6.

  Quickley was traded alongside RJ Barrett ahead of last season’s deadline in the deal that sent OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks.

  Quickley, 25, served as the Knicks’ sixth man, but he immediately assumed a starting role for Toronto after the trade and averaged 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 38 starts with the Raptors.

  The news of Quickley’s long-term deal came just days after multiple media outlets reported that Scottie Barnes agreed to a maximum rookie extension with the Raptors for five years and $225million.

  With Barnes, Quickley and Barrett all signed at least through 2027, the Raptors are hopeful they have a young core to build around in upcoming seasons.

  Drafted out of Kentucky in 2020, Quickley has averaged 13.7 points and 3.5 assists in 291 career games and shot a career-best 39.5 percent from 3-point range last season.

• Lakers select Bronny James with second-round draft pick

  The time has come for guard Bronny James, son of four-time NBA champion LeBron James, to begin his professional career.

  The 19-year-old prospect won't have to look far for mentorship. 

  James was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 55 overall pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday, ushering in the next chapter of the years-long saga between the USC prospect and his future Hall of Fame father.

  James has become a somewhat controversial prospect because his family ties appear to have as much influence over his NBA future as his on-court production.

  The elder James said in January 2023 that it was a goal of his to play in the NBA with his son.

  “I need to be on the floor with my boy,” he told ESPN. “I got to be on the floor with Bronny.”

  In more recent interviews, James loosened his stance and opted for a more supportive and open-minded approach.

  “Whatever his journey, however his journey lays out, he’s going to do what’s best for him,” LeBron said last May. “We’re going to support him in whatever he decides to do. So just because that’s my aspiration or my goal doesn’t mean it’s his. And I’m absolutely OK with that.”

  Bronny’s NBA prospects became hazy on July 24, 2023, when he went into cardiac arrest during an offseason workout with the Trojans.

  James was treated for a congenital heart defect in Los Angeles and New Jersey before being cleared to make his collegiate debut last December.

  James, who was listed as 6-foot-4 at USC but measured 6-foot-1 ½ in socks at the NBA’s scouting combine, had an inconsistent freshman season with the 15-18 Trojans.

  James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 25 games while shooting 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from 3-point range.

  Despite lacklustre shooting numbers in college, James displayed a confident shooting stroke during combine workouts, and his 40.5-inch vertical leap illustrated some impressive explosiveness. 

  As a small guard with an inconsistent shooting touch, James’ contributions early in his career will mainly be on the defensive end of the floor. Throughout his season at USC, James showed the athleticism, toughness and intelligence to project as a good defender at the next level.

  James has good length for his size, with a wingspan over 6-foot-7, and he carries plenty of muscle on his 210-pound frame – two features that should help him on the defensive end immediately.

  “Size is really the only issue for him on defence,” an NBA general manager told The Ringer in April. “If he was actually 6-foot-4 or even a bit bigger, he’d have really excellent potential.”

  The NBA community appears understandably torn on James’ future.

  On one hand, small guards who struggle to shoot rarely get chances at the next level, and it’s even rarer that they make an impact. Without James’ strong family ties, he likely would have been advised to return to college to show improvement as a sophomore.

  James is not without upside, however, and he has shown rare explosiveness and defensive prowess that give some scouts hope he can be a long-time NBA contributor.