Lakers Rumors: Team high on Luka Doncic, but trade up unlikely

BELGRADE, SERBIA - MAY 20: Luka Doncic, #7 of Real Madrid MVP of 2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague F4 Championship Game between Real Madrid v Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul at Stark Arena on May 20, 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Luca Sgamellotti/EB via Getty Images)
BELGRADE, SERBIA - MAY 20: Luka Doncic, #7 of Real Madrid MVP of 2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague F4 Championship Game between Real Madrid v Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul at Stark Arena on May 20, 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Luca Sgamellotti/EB via Getty Images) /
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Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve the 2018 NBA Draft, as the team is high on Luka Doncic, but a trade up is unlikely to happen.

With the 2018 NBA Draft quickly approaching, Los Angeles Lakers rumors have begun picking up. There have already been a few Lakers rumors involving the draft coming across the grapevine in recent days.

Following the 2018 NBA Combine, there was a report that the Lakers had made a promise to center, Mitchell Robinson. Robinson didn’t play collegiately this season, deciding instead to focus on training for the draft instead of playing at Western Kentucky.

A few days later, that report was refuted. Now, there is another rumor involving the Lakers.

According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, the Lakers are enamored with the international prospect, Luka Doncic. Los Angeles isn’t the only team that likes Doncic, which is not surprising.

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Doncic had a dominant season over in Europe with Real Madrid. It has resulted in him being the No. 1 or No. 2 prospect in this year’s class, along with Arizona center, DeAndre Ayton.

Doncic took home the Euroleague MVP and Finals MVP as he led Real Madrid to the Euroleague Final Four title. He also led Slovenia to the European Championship in September.

There is no denying the talent that Doncic has. His game fits the modern NBA as a 6’7″ point-forward. He is an excellent distributor, can shoot the ball well and makes the right decisions with the ball in his hands.

It is no surprise that the Lakers are high on him, but landing him is a whole different challenge. Doncic is expected to go in the top-two of the 2018 NBA Draft. As a result, Givony also notes that a trade up from the Lakers is unlikely.

"The Lakers have been rumored to be high on him, which makes sense considering his potential fit alongside Lonzo Ball, but they don’t appear to be positioning themselves to trade for a top-five pick."

Right now, Doncic’s defense is considered the weakest part of his game. That is an area that the Lakers would be able to help overcome as Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram are all solid defenders. However, a trade up for him is extremely unlikely.

For starters, the Lakers don’t have much draft capital. Los Angeles owns the No. 25 and No. 47 overall pick. Those picks alone wouldn’t be enough to move into the top-five. Los Angeles would probably have to add some of their young players to make a move up that high, which is not going to happen.

If the Lakers are going to trade anyone from their young core, it will be for an established player, such as Kawhi Leonard. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka aren’t going to break up their young core to add another unproven player to the roster.

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Doncic landing with the Lakers would be a major upset. A huge slide down the board is the only way the Lakers will land Doncic. However, it is extremely unlikely that he falls out of the top-five, with the likeliest landing spot being either the Phoenix Suns or Sacramento Kings at No. 1 or No. 2.