The LA Lakers are coming into the NBA draft with the number seven overall pick and some reports have the team looking at a trade in the top 10, as names like Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart, Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon are targets to bring in alongside Kobe Bryant and this comes as Nick Young said to reporters that he could be willing to sign a free agent discount to stay in Los Angeles.
The Lakers ended up with a top 10 pick this season for the first time in years and reports have the team looking hard at Marcus Smart. There is chance Smart may not be there at seven, as Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid are predicted as the top three picks, with Smart, Julius Randle and Aaron Gordon possibly going after that.
According to Dave McMenamin at ESPNLosAngeles.com, the Lakers are planning on keeping the pick and this comes after reports that the Lakers were looking at trading it to help get more picks in the draft. Some speculated that the Lakers could try and turn their pick into multiple picks, as this is a deep draft and the team could get more than one talented player to develop alongside Kobe Bryant. That plan appears to be off now and the team is likely to take who they see as the most talented at that pick. Young also said he would be willing to take a discount to stay in LA.
The presumptive number one pick is Andrew Wiggins, but right now it could be Parker or Embiid for the Cleveland Cavaliers if they keep that pick. The team reportedly will listen to offers for the number one pick and ESPN.com writes that at least eight different teams have called in about making a move up. Pro Basketball Talk reports that the Philadelphia 76ers are motivated to move up and they want to take Wiggins ate number one and would be willing to give up the number three pick and Thaddeus Young for it.
The Lakers are coming into the offseason after a very tough year and they missed the playoffs by a long shot and had to deal with Kobe Bryant being on the sidelines basically for the entire season. The team won just 27 games last year and lost 55 and now they are trying to bounce back while Kobe still has some time left and that means they need a fast turnaround. The team is still working on hiring a new head coach after firing Mike D'Antoni and reports say the team wants to sway a big free agent by giving him (aka LeBron or Carmelo) some sway in the decision.
The team ranked 11th last season in points per game, but they were 29th in points allowed and were mostly terrible on defense. The team ranked fourth in assists per game, but they were 25th in rebounding and while some players showed they have the skills to last in the NBA, the Lakers did not have a playoff roster and that is what they need to fix now. Young ended up leading the team in points with 17 per game and Kendall Marshall actually ended up being pretty good as well, averaging eight assists per game and the Lakers wouldn't mind having him back as well. Randolph also could be a nice target for the Lakers to replace Gasol if he leaves.
