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Los Angeles Lakers: 4 drafted players that had great careers elsewhere

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 10: Marc Gasol #33 of the Toronto Raptors reacts to play in front of Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 113-104 Raptor win at Staples Center on November 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 10: Marc Gasol #33 of the Toronto Raptors reacts to play in front of Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 113-104 Raptor win at Staples Center on November 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

The Los Angeles Lakers have made some excellent selections in the NBA Draft in the team’s history. In fact, the Lakers have had three first overall picks in team history and all three went on to be Hall of Famers. They are the only team in the league to do that.

While there have been Laker legends to come from the NBA Draft, there have also been great players that the Lakers have drafted that carved out a nice career elsewhere.

Most of the times the players end up on a different team because of a trade, but there are some examples of some drafted Lakers whose best days came away from the franchise that picked them.

Here are four players that were drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers that had a great career away from the franchise.

Oh, and to clear something up, we are not including the weird draft-day trades where the Lakers ‘technically’ draft someone but the trade has been reported already and we all know they are not being drafted by the Lakers, similar to how the Charlotte Hornets ‘drafted’ Kobe Bryant.

Vlade Divac

Ironically enough, we start with the guy that the Los Angeles Lakers traded to the Charlotte Hornets to get the 13th overall pick and select Kobe Bryant. Divac may be known more for being the other guy in that trade, but he still carved out a solid career.

His career is going to look minuscule compared to Bryant’s, who is one of the greatest players of all-time, but Divac still did enough to get a questionable induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

His best days away from the Lakers came with the Sacramento Kings, which is the only team he made the all-star team with and is where he averaged his best numbers away from the Lakers. He was a key part of the late ’90s/early 2000s Kings teams that battled head-to-head with the Lakers in the playoffs.

Ironically enough, Divac ended his career with the Lakers for one season after the departure of Shaquille O’Neal. He absolutely did the most with his time on the Lakers, so he is fourth on this list.

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