The NBA Draft is less than a week away. Laker fans have been waiting for this moment for quite some time now. Everybody wants to know how this draft will shakeout and which players will be wearing purple and gold next season.
-== Best Lakers Draft Pick & Free Agent Pairings ==-
Most of the focus is on the Lakers’ number two pick, but they also have the 27th and 34th overall selections. While those don’t generate much excitement, they can still provide a great opportunity for the Lakers to snag a steal later in the draft.
The Lakers have had workout with several prospects for those later slots, but they might end up using it after all. According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the Lakers are reportedly looking to move the 27th overall pick.
"League sources say the Lakers are interested in trading this pick if only to avoid the guaranteed salary associated with it. There has also been talk of bundling this pick with other assets and moving up, so this selection is clearly in flux."
It looks like the Lakers are unsure of what to do with the 27th pick. According to Real GM’s 2014-15 scale, the 27th pick is set to make close to a million in each of his first two years of the contract, which is not much of a cap hit. Is Mitch Kupchak really worried about the guaranteed salary?
Unless they plan to move up in the draft, the Lakers need to keep their 27th and 34th picks. Hopefully one of them can be a serviceable player that will help with the rebuild. Ideally, the Lakers would select a diamond in the rough, but even good role players are hard to come by. The Lakers need to build through the draft along with free agency, so they have to take a chance with these two picks.