With two picks at the end of the first round, here are four players the Los Angeles Lakers should consider drafting with those two picks.
The NBA draft is fast approaching and the Los Angeles Lakers are in the thick of the NBA chatter. Indiana Pacers All-Star Paul George declared the Lake Show as the only team he wants to join when he becomes a free agent in 2018. That statement alerted the new Lakers front office that it had to speed some things up to make Los Angeles a viable destination and that they did with the shocking D’Angelo Russell trade on Tuesday.
In the deal, the Lakers acquired the 27th pick in the draft and one of the best offensive centers in the league in Brook Lopez from Brooklyn. In return, the Lakers shipped off Timofey Mozgov and his behemoth contract, in addition to Russell. The Lakers now have the second, 27th, and 28th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
What does this mean in the short-term? First, it almost assures the Lake Show will draft Lonzo Ball with pick number two to be the point guard of the future. Secondly, it gives them an extra asset to try to pry George from the Pacers and get him in the fold before he hits the open market.
In the event that a trade doesn’t come to fruition, the purple and gold clad Lake Show need to use its late first round picks on their biggest need, a defensive big man. Now that Lopez is on the team, it’s especially important to get a big man to complement him.
Let’s see who the Lake Show might choose in the 2017 NBA Draft to go head-to-head against a seasoned veteran like Lopez in practice every day for at least one season.