Prior to the 2018 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired an additional second round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers and there was a scenario of it possibly being an additional asset in a Kawhi Leonard trade with the San Antonio Spurs.
Ultimately, the Lakers were unable to make a trade and ended up selecting Moritz Wagner (No. 25), Isaac Bonga (No. 39) and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (No. 47). With Los Angeles needing to improve their shooting, they drafted two of the best at their positions.
After Wagner and Mykhailiuk were recently introduced to the media, both will next participate at the inaugural California Classic Summer League and Las Vegas Summer League.
However, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the Lakers are in no particular rush to sign Wagner because of the possibility that he be included in a trade:
The Lakers are in no rush to sign the 25th overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, Michigan forward Mo Wagner, to his rookie scale deal, which would allow the Lakers to include his draft rights into a trade package, league sources said. Wagner couldn’t be traded for 30 days once he signs his rookie deal.
As it would have been ideal for the Spurs to select their own player at the 2018 NBA Draft, it will be interesting to see if Wagner interests them. Although Leonard has made it very clear he wants to play for the Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers, the Spurs are reportedly seeking the team’s young core excluding Lonzo Ball and additional draft picks.
If Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka are somehow able to land Leonard, one report suggested it would likely ‘clinch’ a free agency commitment from LeBron James. With two of the league’s best players teaming up, it could also lead to a potential big three with the signing of Paul George.
Medium Large is looking to add motivated individuals with big dreams and a big appetite for success to our LakersNation.com direct sales team based in Los Angeles or Orange County. If you love sports, know digital sales, and can throw your weight behind an aggressive commission based opportunity than we would love to talk to you. Please apply at: http://mediumlarge.la/?jobs=1576. If you meet our criteria we will be in touch!