Lakers Rumors: Possible trade packages to receive another draft pick
By Jason Reed
Taj Gibson is a free agent heading into next season, so the Oklahoma City Thunder need some depth at the power forward position. Trading the selection away allows the team to bring in a young power forward in Larry Nance Jr, along with still having the opportunity to draft not too much further down.
This deal for the Lakers would be to get one man, T.J. Leaf. Leaf, who potentially would be joining UCLA teammate Lonzo Ball, would be a great fit for this Lakers team behind Julius Randle. Randle is a menacing force down low with the ability to post a consistent double-double average. Leaf would give the Lakers something entirely different – perimeter shooting.
Los Angeles’ perimeter shooting is not the best, especially in their big men. In today’s NBA you must have a stretch four caliber player to keep up, and that is exactly what Leaf would supply the Los Angeles Lakers.
Coming off of the bench, Leaf would be a great scoring option with his great shooting. Leaf averaged 16.3 points per game in his freshman year at UCLA, shooting 46.6% from beyond the arc.
As of now, Leaf is the 23rd best prospect on CBS Sports NBA Draft Big Board. The Lakers should not wait around until the 28th pick if they do want to select him, and instead, pull the trigger and send away Larry Nance Jr.