After a few tense moments, the basketball gods smiled upon the Los Angeles Lakers and awarded them the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Heading into the lottery, the Lakers had just a 9.4% chance of moving from the No. 11 pick into the top-four.
Now that they have the No. 4 pick, the Lakers will be presented with a wide variety of options. On this episode of the Lakers Nation News Feed, host Trevor Lane breaks down the possibilities now that they have a valuable asset to use.
Should they decide to hang onto the pick, Los Angeles could bolster their young core of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart. This could give them the ability to find sustained success well into the future if they believe that they can find an All-Star caliber player.
However, with LeBron James turning 35, there will be pressure on the Lakers to put together a roster that is ready to compete right away. With that being the case, it might make sense for them to trade their pick for an established player.
Anthony Davis is certain to be a popular name on the trade market in the coming weeks and with the New Orleans Pelicans landing the No. 1 pick — which will almost certainly be used on Zion Williamson — perhaps they will be more interested in a complete rebuild around young talent that could be acquired by shipping out an unhappy Davis.
The bottom line is that the No. 4 pick gives the Lakers a valuable asset to use as they see fit. Regardless of what they do, their decision will play a major role in the team’s fortunes moving forward.