The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly engaged in trade talks with the Indiana Pacers to acquire superstar Paul George. The team has been adamant about having no desire to trade Brandon Ingram or the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft. That stance may have changed slightly.
According to Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times, the Lakers may consider moving the second overall pick in Thursday’s draft in a three-team trade scenario:
As of now, Lakers haven't changed their mind about Ingram's availability, but the No. 2 pick could be in play if a third team gets involved.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) June 20, 2017
At this point, Lonzo Ball out of UCLA appears to be the favorite to be selected by the Lakers with the No. 2 pick on Thursday. Ball has been the favorite all along with the point guard addressing a need in the backcourt for a pass-first player that can also stretch the floor.
With Ball being the type of player the Lakers need at the moment, the team has been reluctant to part ways with their lottery pick. That could change if they can get another appealing asset from a third team in the trade for George making things that much more interesting as these trade talks continue leading up to the draft which is only two days away.
As the rumors continue to circulate, it’ll be interesting to see if the Lakers can somehow acquire George while also keeping the pick and Ingram. It seems as though the rest of the roster is expendable, but George’s agent, Aaron Mintz, is reportedly lobbying for D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle to be off the table in trade talks as they are both his clients as well.