The 2024 NBA Draft is just around the corner, which means the Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of decisions to make.
The Lakers are heading into the draft with two picks, 17th overall in the first round and 55th overall in the second round, which means they could go in a variety of directions.
With LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster, the Lakers are obviously in the business of competing for championships. With that being the case, they will likely shop the 17th pick to see if they can add a win-now veteran to the roster.
Rob Pelinka tried to do that last year but was unsuccessful in doing so, resulting in them drafting Jalen Hood-Schifino with the 17th pick. He wasn’t able to contribute during his rookie campaign, so the Lakers will look to avoid going a similar route this year.
This draft is touted to be one of the weakest in years, which means L.A. again may not be able to find someone who can come in and contribute right away at 17. Because of that, everything is on the table for the Lakers whether that be trading back or even potentially trading up, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports:
“I’ve heard from plenty of people that they are considering at No. 17, there’s talk of the Lakers wanting to move up a little bit.”
The Lakers have limited assets at their disposal so if they were indeed to move up and use some future picks to do so, it would signify that they are super high on a certain prospect.
An example that the Lakers would be looking for if they were to move up would be Derrick Lively, who was drafted 12th overall by the Dallas Mavericks last season. He had a stellar rookie year and has continued to improve as a key contributor for the Mavericks in these playoffs.
Some names the Lakers could be looking to trade up for include Devin Carter, Isaiah Collier and Ron Holland. If L.A. wants to add a center then Purdue’s Zach Edey could also be a name to watch.
With less than two weeks until draft night, it will be interesting to see which direction the Lakers go with the hope of getting back into championship contention in mind.
Bronny James worked out for Lakers
One other prospect to look out for on draft night is of course Bronny James, the oldest son of Lakers star LeBron James.
Bronny won’t be in the mix for the Lakers in the first round but recently worked out for the organization and was said to be impressive as a potential second round prospect.
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