Best Case Scenario
This should come as no surprise, but the best case scenario for the Los Angeles Lakers is that the team defies all odds and not only keeps their draft pick but leaps up and snatches the coveted number one spot.
More from Lake Show Life
- No star has done so little with as much help as Lakers’ Russell Westbrook
- Rob Pelinka is directly going against his promise to LeBron James
- The 76ers won’t be able to help the Lakers trade for Kyrie Irving
- 3 keys to the Los Angeles Lakers shocking the world next season
- Lakers have unrealistic hopes for Russell Westbrook
From here, the possibilities are endless for the Purple and Gold: they could pick from either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, trade the pick for established veteran presence, or both, trade down for a lower pick AND a veteran player.
In Texas Hold’em, players often refrain from asking the Poker Gods for anything, saving their “one time” moment for when it matters most; for the Lakers, this is undoubtedly their “one time” moment.
Yes, giving up their pick this year will mean that they likely get their pick back come 2017 where the draft class is arguably much deeper, but who knows if the Lakers will even get a shot at a lottery pick come next season, let alone the number one pick.
Consolation Prize: A consolation prize for not winning the top spot would be landing the second overall pick and having the team in front of them draft the player that they are more likely to spurn, in this case Ben Simmons.
Depending on the team that lands first overall, this is actually a big possibility, bigger even than the Lakers 18.8 chance at landing the number two pick.
Next: Worst Case Scenario