The Los Angeles Lakers traded away a lot of draft capital for Anthony Davis and while it has hindered the team’s ability to trade future picks, Los Angeles still has two selections to make in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Of course, this could all change if the Lakers make a trade to bring in talent at the deadline. The Lakers cannot trade their first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft as it is a pick swap with the Pelicans. They can, however, trade their 2023 second-round pick.
That first-round pick from the Pelicans may actually end up being fairly decent. New Orleans has plummeted down the standings in recent weeks and there is a legitimate chance that the Lakers could get their own first-round pick back in the swap. The hope is that the pick doesn’t end up being that great, as it would mean the Lakers climbed up the standings and out of the lottery.
In this Lakers mock draft, Los Angeles ends up with a lottery pick in the first round.
We hopped on Tankathon to simulate the 2023 NBA Draft order based on the current standings and the Lakers ended up with the 13th overall pick. That pick was originally the Pelicans’ pick with New Orleans getting the 10th overall pick from Los Angeles.
Losing only three spots in the draft order is not a bad trade-off for Anthony Davis, although the Lakers would prefer if they get to keep their own first-round pick if it is in the 20s.
Regardless, there are some exciting prospects available at the backend of the lottery that could wind up being legitimate contributors next season on top of being building blocks for the future.