4. The Lakers don’t land an impact player in the NBA Draft
The Lakers, for now, are once again in the lottery. In most instances, this wouldn’t be a bad thing. You have a chance to land a player who could potentially help your franchise and have that player on a rookie deal for years to come. However, outside of the Top 5, the talent pool in this years draft is not stellar.
It is not impossible that the Lakers land a mediocre talent who doesn’t have much of an impact. Last years draft picks, Mortiz Wagner and Isaac Bonga, have made very little impact this year. Sviatoslav “Svi” Mykhailiuk, who seemingly was the most intriguing player of the trio, is no longer a Laker as he was traded to the Detroit Pistons at the trade deadline for Reggie Bullock.
Hopefully Magic hands back control to Ryan West and Jesse Buss to run the draft, I am confident that they can draft a player who can help the Lakers long term or who can be a valuable asset in any trade moving forward.