The Los Angeles Lakers are set to pick No. 17 overall in Thursday’s NBA draft, but there is a chance they might not keep that pick.
The Athletic published a mock first round of the draft. Lakers reporter Jovan Buha wrote the section on the No. 17 pick owned by the team.
Buha said “there is an increasing likelihood” that the Lakers trade the pick. If they keep the pick, Buha had the team drafting Dereck Lively II.
The Lakers could package the No. 17 pick with a player such as Mo Bamba or Malik Beasley for another player or perhaps a combination of players and picks.
Will the Lakers Trade the #17 Pick?
If they do, what types of trades can they get in a Trade Down?
What if NO pick comes back? What type of Starter Level player would they accept?
Here are 20+ Mock Trades we mulled over in our Draft-Day Trades Podcast:https://t.co/7IYU8b1D1r pic.twitter.com/JFvk5lEN39
— Lakers Legacy (@LakersLegacyPod) June 20, 2023
It’s unclear what exactly the Lakers might be targeting for a potential trade. But the possibility apparently exists that they make a deal on draft night.
Bamba and Beasley are among the few players the Lakers have under contract for next season. They also have the core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as well as Jarred Vanderbilt and Max Christie, under contract. The Lakers have some decisions to make on restricted free agents Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
