After missing the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, the Los Angeles Lakers are headed to the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago, IL.
Following a 37-45 record during the 2018-19 NBA season in Year 1 with LeBron James and the young core, the Lakers currently have the No. 11 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Since the Lakers won six out of their final 10 games, they have a 2.0% chance at the No. 1 pick and a 9.4% chance at a top-four pick.
Kyle Kuzma, who was the No. 27 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, will be representing the Lakers on May 14, according to Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet:
Kyle Kuzma will represent the Lakers at the draft lottery next Tuesday in Chicago, Spectrum SportsNet has learned.
Lakers currently have the 11th pick.
They have a 9.4% chance at moving into the top four and 2% chance at the top overall pick.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) May 7, 2019
Along with Donovan Mitchell, Kuzma is widely considered the steal of the draft and the Lakers certainly need some luck if they want to end their playoff drought.
Since the Lakers have a 77.6% chance of staying at No. 11, it will be interesting to see what they do with an unexpected lottery pick. While the ideal situation is to sign a second All-Star player in free agency, there is a scenario where they could include their first round pick in a potential trade.
While there are still more questions than answers at this time, the team’s scouting department has done extremely well during the rebuilding process, especially with the late first to early second round picks. If the Lakers ultimately keep the lottery pick, it is another opportunity for them to find another gem like Kuzma.