Lakers' 2015 NBA Draft Pick Will Define Franchise Direction for Next 10 Years

Basic logic would have the Los Angeles Lakers securing Jahlil Okafor with their No. 2 selection on draft night and living happily ever after—or at least for the next decade. Okafor is a dominant offensive force, the kind of classic paint monster that a front office can build around with ease.

But how does one divine a team’s future when the moving parts are gathering power like an encroaching storm?

A Monday trade rumor from ESPN’s Marc Stein concerned three teams with picks in the top six and featured Sacramento Kings star DeMarcus Cousins: “Sources say that the Lakers, Kings and Orlando Magic have had exploratory dialogue on a three-way Cousins trade that would land the 24-year-old in Los Angeles.”

Declarations to the contrary soon ensued, with the Orlando Sentinel’s Brian K. Schmitz tweeting that, according to league sources, the “Magic are not part of [the] proposed 3-way trade.”

Casting further doubt on the blockbuster rumor was the response from Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, per Sam Amick of USA Today: “We have zero interest in moving Cousins, so I don't know where that's coming from.”

Ranadive's assertion was further reinforced by team executive Vlade Divac, per Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.

The various protests haven’t managed to tamp down the spin cycle, but a future franchise direction can’t be defined by trade theories that seem to change like clockwork.

Instead, we now return you to your regularly scheduled programming and a Lakers reality grounded in a simple and easy-to-grasp concept—the welcoming of an NCAA champion from Duke.

Okafor equals the easily definable, a classic back-to-the-basket center with a high basketball IQ and a low-post game that’s ridiculously polished for a 19-year-old. 

And, the tradition of dominant purple and gold bigs is one that Okafor clearly embraces, as evidenced by comments he made after a recent Lakers workout.

“Shaquille O’Neal was my favorite growing up” the draft prospect said, per Joey Ramirez of the Lakers official site, “and then Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) is the all-time leading scorer.”

The question can be asked: Does an old-school approach hold the same value in a changing NBA landscape where guards are now the vogue? Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak recently addressed just this issue, also per Ramirez.

“We have a lot of photos in this building and a lot of those jerseys over there have the names of big men that we’ve had success with,” Kupchak said. “Once again, it’s debatable…But we’ve had great success with dominant centers.”

In keeping with the themes of evolution, it’s also fun to imagine how the first chapter of the Okafor story might dovetail with Kobe Bryant’s swan-song exit. It could be both amazing and tantalizingly brief. Bryant has been plagued by injuries in recent years and there are no guarantees of anything, except an inevitable passing of the torch.

Danny Moloshok/Associated Press

But nonetheless, picture the energy of willing youth combined with the wiles of the third all-time scoring leader.

Consider Jordan Clarkson’s speed and ball-handling skills and the re-boot of Julius Randle after a rookie season lost to a broken leg. Add in Okafor, backing down opponents in the paint as he learns the ways of the NBA. And top it off with Bryant’s intensity and jab-fakery as he sets up one of his patented fadeaway buzzer-beaters.

It could be special, even if just an introductory phase. And there would be other time-specific elements as well. The Lakers front office will attack free agency after the draft and that will no doubt include veteran players to balance out the youth movement. 

Rajon Rondo is the offseason target observers love to hate—one of the best set-up men of his generation whose cache has dropped precipitously. But despite his disastrous stint with the Dallas Mavericks this season, Rondo still has the ability to be a laser-guided delivery system to one and all. He’s like the Dennis Rodman of point guards—scoring the ball just isn’t his thing.

But if a declining Rondo represents more of a short-term addition, there are also the prime-time candidates who would command max-type deals.

At 29, Goran Dragic just opted out of his contract with the Miami Heat, per Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The Slovenian point guard is in his peak years and might still see L.A. as a “perfect fit,” as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reported earlier in the year.

There’s also LaMarcus Aldridge, 29, a tough and brilliant two-way power forward who would instantly elevate the Lakers’ chances for a redemptive playoff run. During an appearance on the Joe Rose Show for CBS Miami, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated included Aldridge as a Lakers target.

“Now L.A., they plan to be very aggressive this offseason,” Mannix said. “It will be Dwyane Wade and then LaMarcus Aldridge and then probably Rajon Rondo that they contact and see what they can do to plug talent around Kobe Bryant.”

And then there’s the elusive question of what Kevin Love, 26, will or won’t do this summer. As Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes: “(Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David) Griffin has repeatedly said the Cavs plan to keep Love, but plugged-in executives around the league continue to predict the Cavs will sign-and-trade Love after advancing so far without him.”

But all of this starts with Thursday night. Any 10-year plan has to have a centerpiece that can last that long, meaning: youth.

It will likely start with Okafor—a one-and-done sensation with an NBA-ready body who has won at every level, including a high school state championship in Illinois, as the MVP of the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championships and his more recent national collegiate title. 

There’s also the possibility of a draft-night surprise, such as the Lakers selecting Ohio’s D’Angelo Russell, a 6'5" point guard with off-the-charts analytics promise.

And don’t sleep on Latvian sensation Kristaps Porzingis, a versatile wild card who could be the shocker of the 2015 draft class. Finally, there’s the full-circle return to Boogie Fever and the idea that the defining draft pick is actually one that might be traded.

This year’s draft will shape the direction of the Lakers franchise for years to come. But we’ll have to wait until Thursday to see what the actual road map looks like.