The Los Angeles Lakers, holding a 12-33 record midway into the season, are in the running to land a top-5 pick in next summer's NBA Draft. While there's a chance they would stumble on a future cornerstone in that draft class, Bleacher Report Lakers Sr. Writer Kevin Deng thinks the Lakers might also consider trading the potential lottery pick for an already established player.
Dealing another disappointing season, the Lakers are back in the drawing board, trying to figure it out their next move in bringing the once-flourishing franchise back to contention.
Bryant, who returned from two major surgeries and grueling rehab, showed that he can still put up big numbers at his advanced age. Averaging 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists this year, Bryant went on to set milestone after another, including passing Michael Jordan for no.3 in NBA All-Time scoring list.
But despite Bryant's still relevant presence, the Lakers couldn't muster any better than 12 wins heading into the All-Star break. The lack of firepower was viewed as the main culprit to the Lakers' struggle the past two years. A problem which Ding believes could be fixed with a series of smart moves on the trading front.
In his latest column on Bleacher Report, Ding stated the idea of using their high-lottery pick to get instant help not through draft but via trade. Although the 2015 Draft is loaded with serious talents on the upper draft board (Emmanuel Mudiay, JaHill Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns), none of these youngsters are expected to make a big impact right out of the box.
It's no secret the Lakers management wants to give Bryant a fitting farewell party. That is why Ding stressed trading the first rounder for a bonifide star or an up-and-coming talent might be a better option than painfully waiting for these studs to turn into All-Stars.
Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report:
"If the Lakers do keep their pick this June, they have to give the Suns their 2016 first-rounder (as long as it's not in the top three). The Lakers also owe Orlando their 2017 first-rounder (as long as it's not in the top five) from the Howard trade.
That means the Lakers wouldn't have much additional young talent coming in to join Randle and the incoming rookie in a group rebuild anyway.
Packaging that 2015 top-five pick, if the Lakers keep it, in a trade for a high-level player Buss and Kupchak deeply believe in would be an ideal way to hasten the rebuilding process."
With the free-agency class of 2016 expected to be much more abundant in talent, the Lakers will have plenty of options available on the trading block heading into the draft. Mitch Kupchack has carved a reputation as shrewd operator in trading games, and it won't be a shocker if he would pull off another brow-raising deal with the same magnitude as the Dwight Howard trade or the botched Chris Paul deal, using the remaining resources they have.
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