With the NBA Draft just around the corner, the Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of different paths they can take to upgrade their roster.
They own the No. 17 and 47 picks, which can be used to bring in young talent to add to the organization and help them in the long term.
The other option would be to look to trade those picks, particular No. 17, in order to add a starting-caliber player that can help right away in the 2023-24 season.
Considering how well the Lakers draft that may not be the best option, but according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the chances of that being the path they take are increasing:
There’s also the growing possibility that they can make a move at the 2023 draft, flipping their pick (No. 17), along with Bamba and/or Beasley for a starting-level upgrade.
Buha also made an appearance on the Lakers Nation Podcast and expanded on the possibility of the team trading the 17th pick:
“I think there’s a growing likelihood that they are gonna trade that pick. I had heard a couple weeks ago and reported that they weren’t, but conversations since then have kind of changed my stance on that. I think there’s really a couple of options they can take. One is trading back and staying in the first round but getting another rotation player. Another path is taking that 17th pick, guaranteeing Mo Bamba’s contract, exercising the team option on Malik Beasley, combining that, that’s about $26 million, actually a little closer to $27 million. And you have some flexibility there with the salary you can bring in. Those two guys most likely aren’t a big part of their future anyway, so I think those are kind of the two things they’re looking at.”
As Buha alluded to, if the Lakers pick up Malik Beasley’s team option for around $16 million and guarantee Mo Bamba’s contract for around $10 million then they can package them with No. 17 to add a player with significant salary. It remains to be seen who will be available and interested on draft night, but a package of expiring contracts with a pick just outside the lottery should be appealing to a team in a rebuild.
The Lakers also have their 2029 first-round pick and multiple second-rounders to offer if they want to sweeten the pot, so anything could be on the table leading up to draft night on June 22.
Lakers interested in Chris Paul if waived by Suns
One other way the Lakers will look to improve is at the point guard position, and it could come in the form of future Hall of Famer Chris Paul as L.A. reportedly has interest in signing him if he gets waived by the Phoenix Suns. In that scenario, they would also try to retain their own point guard in D’Angelo Russell, who is also a free agent.
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