With the 2018 NBA Draft less than 24 hours away, the Los Angeles Lakers made a surprising move. Already owners of the Nos. 25 and 47 picks, president of operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka traded their 2019 second round-pick via the Chicago Bulls to the Philadelphia 76ers for their No. 39 pick in this year’s draft.
Armed with three draft picks and making the move ahead of time, there is a lot of speculation about what the Lakers might do.
While all the attention will naturally be about having another pick to include in a potential Kawhi Leonard trade, it presents another opportunity for the Lakers to add to their competitive young core at the very least.
With the Lakers drafting extremely well with their late-first-to-early-second-round-picks during their rebuilding process, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer suggested they could potentially trade up for Zhaire Smith, who worked out for the team this week:
Maybe the Lakers can use picks 25 and 39 as ammo to move up for Texas Tech's Zhaire Smith, who they like and worked out on Monday at their practice facility. https://t.co/UqQpVKWqBP
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 21, 2018
As Smith has previously been linked to the Lakers, so too has Allonzo Trier.
According to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, he went through a second workout with the team:
The Lakers brought Arizona's Allonzo Trier in for a second workout this week, according to league sources. The Lakers are looking to improve their shooting and Trier shot better in the second workout than his first according to sources. The 6-5 guard's stock could be rising.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) June 21, 2018
Although the Lakers have also been tied to Mitchell Robinson, Smith is an intriguing prospect. While the Texas Tech guard only averaged 11.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, his athleticism and defensive ability could add to the team’s young backcourt of Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart.
As for Trier, he is expected to go in the mid-to-late second round. In three seasons at Arizona, he averaged 18.1 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field and 38.0 percent shooting from the 3-point line.
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