The Los Angeles Lakers have been mentioned in trade rumors involving draft picks and superstar players consistently over the last few days. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka seem to be angling for ways to improve their roster through trades and may be targeting another lottery pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft.
According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, the Lakers are among a few teams going after the No. 10 pick in the draft owned by the Sacramento Kings:
“It’s also worth noting that a number of teams are trying to trade for this pick from the Kings, including the Lakers, Spurs and Knicks.”
If the Lakers brass is working the phones in an effort to move up to No. 10, it remains uncertain whether it would be to take another top prospect or package the pick in a deal for the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George. Los Angeles is said to be engaged in trade talks to acquire George and have been going back and forth with Indiana trying to make a deal work.
However, if Magic and company plan to take another player in the lottery the team could be targeting a prospect like Zach Collins (Gonzaga), Malik Monk (Kentucky), or Luke Kennard (Duke). The Lakers could be looking for shooters with each of the players mentioned would help them in that category if that’s the direction they’re going.
With trade rumors swirling around the league, it’ll be interesting to see what the Lakers do to finish out the night and whether a superstar or multiple top prospects could potentially be on their way to Los Angeles.