Should the Los Angeles Lakers Trade Their No. 27 Pick In the 2015 NBA Draft?
The Los Angeles Lakers did not come away from a mostly wretched season empty-handed—they collected the Nos. 2, 27 and 34 picks in the upcoming NBA draft.
That’s not bad as far as consolation prizes go. The team could also turn to the barter system in an effort to further improve its haul.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak is keeping his options open, per Lakers.com: “We don’t know if we’re going to draft three players.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean gambling away the opportunity to nab either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor—elite big men who each possess the qualities that could make them franchise cornerstones.
But what about that late first-round selection—No. 27? Should the Lakers trade it away?
The answer is an unequivocal yes. They should unload it in a heartbeat if it improves the team. That’s a no-brainer.
But, it’s the art of the trade that can be complicated and precarious, not the overall concept of it.
Using the pick to trade up
The Lakers have worked out scads of prospects over the last two weeks, ranging from obvious lottery picks to those who may not get chosen at all. There’s a reason for the extra-wide array—the front office wants to be prepared for all contingencies.
Among the cattle call invites have been players who potentially fall somewhere outside the lottery but may not be available when the Lakers come on the board at No. 27. Those include promising small forwards Rondae Hollis-Jefferson from Arizona and Justin Anderson from Virginia.
Hollis-Jefferson would bring the kind of defensive intensity that the Lakers sorely need.
“Defense is well-respected,” the 20-year-old said, per Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. “I see that being my calling card.”
Hollis-Jefferson, who measured 6’7” with a huge 7’2” wingspan at the recent NBA combine, averaged 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals as a sophomore this season.
On top of that, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was on hand to watch the workout Anderson participated in. “Just seeing the Black Mamba walk into our workout at the end, the first thing that came to mind is that he's a killer, and I'd love to play with a killer,” said the Virginia swingman, also per Pincus.
So how could the Lakers secure the services of one of these willing, young applicants? The cleanest way would be to package the team’s No. 27 and No. 34 picks and attempt to trade up.
Or, L.A. could package the pick with cash and/or another asset—such as a future draft selection or a player like volume shooter Nick “Swaggy P” Young.
There are multiple teams to potentially partner with, including the Milwaukee Bucks with the 17th pick and the Washington Wizards with the 19th pick.
The Bucks have been thin in the frontcourt since Larry Sanders decided to walk away from the game of basketball. Perhaps Milwaukee might be interested in trading for Jordan Hill on a one-year rental that could potentially become more than that.
Trading the pick for a veteran
With needs across the board, Los Angeles could also use one of its draft selections to obtain a veteran player who could make an immediate impact.
After all, time isn’t on the side of a team that is simply developing rookies—Kupchak noted as much in a Bleacher Report Radio interview with Howard Beck.
One team that is especially draft-challenged is the New Orleans Pelicans after trading their first-round selection to the Houston Rockets last summer for Omer Asik. That leaves New Orleans with just one pick, the lowly 56th selection.
This is also a team in transition with a new head coach in Alvin Gentry. Might the Pelicans be looking to shake up the roster during the offseason?
In a roundtable discussion, SB Nation’s The Bird Writes describes shooting guard Tyreke Evans and stretch shooter Ryan Anderson as players with disappointing seasons who could be headed for the trading block. Either would fill a need with the Lakers.
Anderson’s $8.5 million isn’t a steep cost to offset—perhaps the Pelicans would consider trading him for fellow stretch-4 Ryan Kelly, the 27th and 34th picks and utility big Robert Sacre.
Another possibility is the Denver Nuggets, who had a disappointing 30-52 season and wound up firing head coach Brian Shaw.
Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders recently wrote, “As the Nuggets explore which coach should lead the team into the future, they are also weighing the notion of blowing up the team and starting over with a group that may buy into what the Nuggets are trying to build in a better way.”
Kyler mentions Wilson Chandler as a potential trade chip. The multi-position veteran started 75 games for Denver this season and is headed into the last year of his contract with a movable salary of $7,171,662.
And what might the Lakers offer for Chandler? Young and the 27th pick would be an interesting combo, especially if the Nuggets were to hire a coach like Mike D'Antoni who empowers his scorers. The open-court pioneer recently met with Denver and presided over Swaggy’s career-best year with the Lakers in 2013-14.
Of course, sorting through NBA ballers who may or may not be in play is a highly speculative business. But that’s the time of season we’re in as we approach the draft and free agency.
The summer is when rosters get torn apart and put back together again. And turning the No. 27 pick into an even better asset is certainly to the Lakers’ advantage.
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