Lakers Rumors: Breaking Down Buzz on Potential Draft Trades and Targets

Outside of perhaps the Cleveland Cavaliers, there isn't a more intriguing team this offseason than the Los Angeles Lakers. Will they be able to rebuild on the fly? Will top free agents be willing to join the team and play alongside Kobe Bryant, in the twilight of his career? What will the team do at the draft? 

That, perhaps more than anything else, could ultimately determine what the Lakers do in the offseason.

And there is certainly plenty of mystery surrounding the Lakers at the No. 2 pick. It's possible, of course, that they could trade that selection to land a veteran player. But they are also in a prime position to nab a young, elite player at No. 2, namely a big man to give the team a franchise center.

Although based on some of the recent rumors, don't expect Karl-Anthony Towns to be that man, as Broderick Turner wrote for the Los Angeles Times:

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The Timberwolves are expected to take Karl-Anthony Towns, the 7-foot center from Kentucky, first overall in the draft.

The Lakers haven't been able to get Towns in for a predraft workout, leaving many around the league to assume Towns has been guaranteed to be the top pick by the Timberwolves. Thus, the feeling is, Towns and his people don't see the need for him to work out for the Lakers.

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In theory, that shouldn't be a huge problem for the Lakers, who can simply draft Jahlil Okafor, the center from Duke, if Towns is off the board.

Or might they draft power forward Kristaps Porzingis and really shake things up? When asked about that possibility, Chad Ford of ESPN wrote the following:

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They were very impressed in the Vegas workout I've heard from multiple sources. I'm just not sure they have the courage to do it. I think they've been zeroing in on Towns (for sure if he's there) and either Okafor or [D'Angelo] Russell. But Porzingis is worth that pick. In fact, if I was drafting at No. 2, that's who I'd take if Towns was off the board. 

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There are a few reasons why Okafor is the more likely pick. He's certainly more of a known commodity, and many folks have him higher on their boards in the first place. And if the Lakers still believe Julius Randle can be a building block, Okafor would certainly pair more naturally with him than Porzingis. 

Of course, the Lakers could also go with either D'Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay to address the point guard position, although a player such as Russell might be better suited to play on a younger team where he can serve as the primary scoring option. He would have to adjust his game playing with Bryant.

Still, that would take care of that position heading into free agency, freeing up the Lakers to pursue a big man. But Okafor feels like the probable choice. The Lakers will try to whip up as much smoke around the pick as possible, perhaps trying to entice a team to give up a ton to get up to No. 2, but in a pretty deep draft, they might be hard-pressed to find many suitors.

After the No. 2 overall pick, however, don't be surprised if the Lakers are sellers, at least according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders:

If the Lakers intend to go for broke in free agency, such a move would make sense. And in a pretty solid draft class through the first round, they may find plenty of buyers for their later pick (the No. 27 selection from Houston). 

We'll learn a lot about the Lakers' offseason come Thursday night. One way or another, it will be the beginning of the latest rebuilding project in Los Angeles.