3. The Los Angeles Lakers have shown they can find gems later in the draft
It becomes easier moving your first-round pick when you have faith in the scouting department in finding someone who could be an impact player later in the draft. Of course, this year is a bit different as the COVID-19 pandemic is going to make scouting and team workouts more difficult if not impossible.
However, the Lakers still have a really good track record of selecting players late in the NBA Draft and because of that track record they would be more comfortable without a first-round pick.
Jordan Clarkson and Ivica Zubac were both excellent second-round picks. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk was a sharpshooter who was blossomed to an impact role player for the Detroit Pistons and you even have late first-round guys like Larry Nance Jr, Josh Hart and Kyle Kuzma that shows the team knows how to draft.
The one current hang-up in this plan is that the Los Angeles Lakers currently do not have a second-round pick. Luckily for the team, second-round picks are usually easy to obtain. The team could either get one in a potential Kuzma trade or could free up a roster spot and get a second by trading someone such as Rajon Rondo.
Getting a second-round pick is not difficult and with the young roster on the team as well as the team’s track record late in the draft, trading that first-round pick and getting back in the second, while also getting the assets from trading the pick, would be the best route to go.