NBA rumors: Lakers looking to trade 17th pick for specific return

The Los Angeles Lakers have not been very active in the NBA Draft in recent years. In fact, the last player that the Lakers drafted in the first round was Moritz Wagner back in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Los Angeles finally has a chance to make a selection in the first round, owning the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The New Orleans Pelicans had the right to swap picks with the Lakers via the Anthony Davis trade but with a better record, the Lakers ultimately kept their pick and gave New Orleans nothing in 2023 for Davis.

Finding an impact player with the 17th pick is easier said than done as there are more examples of players not panning out than them becoming impact rotation guys. With that in mind, the Lakers are reportedly looking to trade the 17th overall pick in the draft and have a very specific return they have in mind.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo recently put together a 2023 mock draft filled with nuggets of information about each team. In the mock draft, they have the Lakers taking Nick Smith Jr, but they also share that LA may not stay put at pick 17.

"“The Lakers could certainly use a combo guard who can shoot off the bounce, create off a live dribble, finish with creativity inside the arc and bring strong competitiveness on both ends of the floor. The Lakers are also exploring trade scenarios as well, especially with teams that have multiple picks.”"

NBA Rumors: Lakers appear to be shopping 17th pick to trade down in NBA Draft

If the Lakers do end up trading the 17th pick it seems more than likely that they would end up with multiple picks in return. That is not a guarantee, though, as there is always room for the team to make another mistake with its draft pick.

This raises the question: which teams fit this billing? Los Angeles is not going to trade the 17th pick for two picks in the 40s, so it is going to have to be a team that has something of legitimate value to offer.

There are several potential suitors with multiple picks in the late first round and early second round. That list includes:

• Brooklyn Nets (Picks 21, 22, 51)
• Portland Trail Blazers (Picks 23, 43)
• Sacramento Kings (Picks 24, 38, 54)
• Memphis Grizzlies (Picks 25, 45)
• Indiana Pacers (Picks 26, 29, 32, 55)
• Charlotte Hornets (Picks 27, 34)
• Los Angeles Clippers (Picks 30, 48)

It is unlikely that the Brooklyn Nets would be willing to trade both picks 21 and 22 just to move up four spots in the draft. Someone special would really have to fall for them to do that but it is unlikely. Maybe they would trade pick 21 and 51, but that isn’t worth it for the Lakers.

The absolute dream scenario would be trading pick 17 for picks 26 and 29 to the Indiana Pacers. Moving up nine spots is substantial and the Lakers could bet on their scouting and developing to land two impact players late in the first. Even if it was picks 26 and 32 it would be a solid get. Picks 27 and 34 from Charlotte wouldn’t be terrible, either.

It might be harder to find talent later in the draft but LA has every reason to bet on itself. There are countless examples of late draft picks and undrafted players who turned into great role players in Los Angeles.

In a perfect world, Los Angeles could trade down with Indiana and make similar selections as the team did in the 2017 NBA Draft when it selected Kyle Kuzma with the 27th pick and Josh Hart with the 30th pick.