3. The draft picks they will be giving up will most likely not be lottery picks
The haul of draft picks that the Lakers are reportedly giving up has yet to be disclosed fully, so it could be even worse than what we know now. But from what we know so far, the only guaranteed lottery pick that will be involved in this deal will be the No. 4 overall pick in this upcoming NBA draft.
In the middle of this past season, the Lakers were reportedly offering their entire young core for AD, including Kyle Kuzma. Since they waited until the end of the season and luckily obtained the No. 4 pick, they instead got to include that in the deal and got to keep Kuzma.
Kuzmania already became a fan favorite in Los Angeles, and he is a far better third option than any player the Lakers could have drafted with the number four overall pick, so this little bonus should be considered as another victory for the Lakers in this deal.
Moreover, if the Lakers are indeed the contender that everyone foresees them to become the next few seasons, then the draft picks they will give up will be at the bottom of the first round anyway. The Lakers gave up a ton picks, including a top-8 protected in 2021, becomes unprotected in ‘22, an unprotected swap in ‘23, an unprotected first in ‘24, and an unprotected swap in ‘25, but if LeBron stays healthy, they should remain a contender through most of those drafts.
It seems outrageous to think that a kid in middle school or high school right now might be involved in this AD trade because some of the picks dealt come in 2024 and 25. However, this is something the Lakers have done in the past, they almost did not get a chance to draft Ball or Ingram because they traded three draft picks for Steve Nash in 2012.
Imagine the irony if the Lakers just lost out at the chance to draft LeBron James Jr. in 2024 because his dad pushed so hard to trade for AD in 2019. Yet if all goes according to plan, the Lakers would be drafting too late in the first round to have a shot a drafting someone as talented as Bronnie anyway.