Lakers Rumors: Playoff contention could soon be a real possibility in Los Angeles

In some of the more bold Lakers rumors, we could see Los Angeles make a playoff run sooner than meets the eye.

The NBA Draft Lottery was pretty nice to the Lakers this season, giving them the second overall pick just like last time around.

But beyond the lottery, or even the draft itself, the storied franchise still has plenty to prove within their core group of players taken in drafts prior.

D’Angelo Russell has more doubt to deal with than promise at the moment, while Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson have shown they can work out long-term in L.A.

Russell will be getting some tips from Magic Johnson over the off-season, so that could pay dividends with a new coach in Luke Walton coming over from Golden State, but now a lottery pick is in play and could lead Los Angeles to their next true star.

What would make the most sense for the franchise to me would be to keep the draft pick — they already went through enough worry about ending up with it — and pick up Brandon Ingram or Ben Simmons, whoever is available when it’s their turn.

By taking one of these two prospects the Lakers will show not only that they’re ready to move on to the next generation of players, but that they’re willing to make the young players they have their own.

Should Los Angeles try to get a star from elsewhere, with the exception of Los Angeles native DeMar DeRozan, it could cause a conflict of egos both on and off the floor.

With Kobe Bryant out of the picture, the next true superstar would have not only a lot of pressure to handle playing for the Lakers but would also have to cope with inexperienced talent.

Plus, if the Lakers made a trade, it would likely take someone like D’Angelo Russell with it to whichever team Los Angeles might do business with.

Russell faced a lot of speculation, including rumors of being traded then and there, when a breach of trust occurred between him and veteran Nick Young a few months ago. Because of this premise, it may not come as too much of a surprise if Russell gets shipped elsewhere, it’d be more of a disappointment.

The former Ohio State star is still learning, and getting him out of town so quickly after investing in him just one draft ago as the next point guard of the future for the team doesn’t make sense to me.

Not only could that derail consistent play from the point guard position, but it takes away any of the growth that happened when Kobe Bryant was still around.

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If the goal is moving forward, DeRozan is the only option that the Lakers should choose outside of the draft and current roster. When it comes to cuts, it’s a different story, but in terms of trade it’s something that Los Angeles might be best to stay away from.

Lastly, if they were to go after someone like Paul George, they might be getting a player in their prime, but it’d be on the back end of the prime.

George had the best statistical season of the year with the Pacers this past season, averaging 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game.

This might be attractive at first, mainly for the obvious reason of wanting to compete right away with a player that’s already established their own brand in the NBA.

Important things to note in the case of George coming to Los Angeles is that while his statistical appearance is more attractive than ever to teams looking to land a top name looking for success, the frustrations experienced in Indiana would be immediately echoed in Los Angeles.

Is that really worth all the hype?

In short, no, it’s not.

There is plenty of promise with what the Lakers have in place already, and trading for someone else, especially Paul George, could prove to do more damage than good.

Investing in Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram would be the best way to prepare for a bright future for a franchise that used to be the best in the game.

Next: Ben Simmons Reportedly Favored By Los Angeles

But even before then, believing in the pieces already put in place goes a long way.