Los Angeles Lakers: Five players to target if they trade down
By Matt Leaman
If the Los Angeles Lakers trade down in the 2017 NBA Draft, these are five players they should target.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the rest of the NBA are in for an exciting Thursday night. With the recent move made by the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics, it signals just the beginning of how eventful and crazy the 2017 NBA Draft night can get.
The 76ers received the 1st overall pick, while the Celtics moved down to the 3rd overall pick. The Celtics clearly weren’t sold on Marcus Fultz and decided to make this move. Which brings up the question as to whether or not the Lakers should trade their 2nd overall pick and move down further in the first round.
In the past few drafts, the Lakers have been able to find success and steal some talent in the late first round and second round of the NBA draft. With the 2nd and 28th overall picks, they have a great opportunity with those assets to trade down and accumulate more talent in this draft.
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If the Lakers aren’t completely sold on Lonzo Ball from UCLA or Josh Jackson out of Kansas, they should trade their second pick and drop down somewhere between the 10th and 15th pick in the first round.
Though Jackson would be a great fit with this Lakers team due to his ability to play both ends of the floor and his athletic versatility, they may be better off moving down and acquiring more quantity of talent rather than quality. With a move like this, they could potentially have two first round picks and a second round pick, as well.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some potential players and sleepers in this draft that could turn a potential questionable trade of the 2nd overall pick into a gold mine of talent for the Lakers.