NBA Draft 2016: Lakers Should Try to Get Another First Round Pick
The Lakers will have an opportunity on Thursday to add to their already impressive young core and should be aggressive in doing so
While it may seem greedy with the team already possessing the Nos. 2 and 32 picks, the Los Angeles Lakers should make a strong push to add more than two prospects in Thursday’s draft.
Firstly, while the Lakers have a strong young core and the chance to add a cornerstone prospect in Brandon Ingram, their roster still sports plenty of holes. The greatest of these is undeniably the center position. Although they will have the opportunity to pursue free agents at this position, their ability to acquire top flight talent in that fashion has been suspect as of late.
The Lakers should also be able to bring back Tarik Black, who is currently a restricted free agent. Black has shown promise, but is most likely more suited to a bench role. Outside of him, the Lakers have no centers on the roster, with both Robert Sacre and Roy Hibbert presumably leaving in free agency.
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While the Lakers will have some solid options to choose from in the second round, a pick in the mid-to-late first round could move them into a slightly higher tier. Damian Jones, in particular, is projected to go in the second half of the first round and has the physical tools and upside to become a long-term starter for the team.
This would also allow the Lakers to use their second round pick to address one of the other needs for the team, such as perimeter defense or three-point shooting. Players like Malcom Brogdon, Gary Payton II, and Patrick McCaw could all provide help at the guard and wing positions.
The reason this scenario is possible, however, is because there are several other teams with motivation to move these picks.
Teams like Denver and Phoenix simply have more picks than they have roster spots, while teams like Atlanta and Golden State may need to rid themselves of picks for the sake of cap space. Regardless of the reason, the Lakers would be wise to capitalize on the situation and use their funds to secure a valuable asset.
The final reason why this move makes sense in this particular draft is the very unique complexion of this particular draft. While Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram would have been in contention to go number one in any of the last few drafts, the rest of the lottery is relatively weak. However, there are a surprising number of prospects who project as solid contributors, with a few high upside project players mixed in.
Because of this, the Lakers will have a good shot at landing a player who can help now with a later pick, or even take find themselves in position to take a flyer on someone like Thon Maker. Either way, the depth of the post-lottery portion of this draft should intrigue the Lakers, who should be focused on constructing a solid supporting cast around their budding stars.
Next: NBA Draft 2016: Ranking the Top 100 Prospects
Although the Lakers can undoubtedly have a successful evening tomorrow night without making a single move, acquiring another first round pick could accelerate the rebuild in a major way. Heading into the uncertainty of free agency, the team should be looking to maximize their assets and getting another solid young player for cheap seems like the best way to do that.