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NBA Draft Rumors: Lakers Would Trade No. 1 Pick

By Cody Williams

Feb 13, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) brings the ball up court against the Texas A&M Aggies during the first half of a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 13, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers forward Ben Simmons (25) brings the ball up court against the Texas A&M Aggies during the first half of a game at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Lakers would reportedly trade the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft if they won it

Los Angeles Lakers fans are looking at the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery with bated breath for a number of reasons. Not only are fans praying that they can hold onto their first-round pick as they have a 55.8 percent chance of getting a top-3 pick and not having to send it to the Philadelphia 76ers, but they’re also looking at the fact that they have a 19.9 percent chance at winning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

As it turns out, the Lakers winning the draft lottery and getting the No. 1 pick might not matter a great deal as they might just trade that pick anyway.

According to a report from Colin Cowherd, two separate sources have told the Fox Sports 1 radio host that the Lakers would trade the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft if they were to get it:

"“I’ve been told by 2 separate sources — even if the Lakers get the No. 1 pick, they’re trading it.” – @ColinCowherdhttps://t.co/kHG6mV9TPP— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 3, 2016"

Obviously this is coming from Cowherd and that means that everyone should take it with a grain of salt. He’s paid to stir up things to talk about and sometimes that leads to outlandish reports like this. However, he is a guy who has been in the sports media world for quite a while and he undoubtedly does have sources.

With that in mind, it might not be the craziest thing in the world to see the Lakers trade the No. 1 overall pick. If the general consensus around the league is that Ben Simmons has to be the top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and if the Lakers are invested in Julius Randle being a part of their future, it might be in the Lakers’ best interest to trade the pick for more assets as Simmons and Randle wouldn’t really be able to occupy the floor as part of the same lineup.

Next: Lakers: D'Angelo Training With Magic Johnson in Offseason

Again, we’ll have to wait and see if this is all smoke with no fire at all. Moreover, this won’t even matter if the Lakers don’t win the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery. What we do know, though, is that this report from Cowherd makes Lakers fans keep an eye on everything about to happen all the more intently.

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