Los Angeles Lakers: Three players worth trading up for in the draft
By Jason Reed
1. Luka Doncic, pick four
Luka Doncic is the most talked about prospect in the 2018 NBA Draft. Doncic is one of the best prospects in the entire draft, yet it is hard to really pinpoint where the international superstar is going to land. Realistically, Doncic can land anywhere in the top-five picks.
Sitting with the fourth overall pick is the Memphis Grizzlies, who have been labeled as the team to call if another team wants to move up in the draft. With the Lakers reportedly high on Doncic, the Grizzlies and the Lakers may become natural trade partners of draft night.
There are a ton of variables that go into this trade that would be necessary for the deal to happen. Because of that, with the Lakers’ current outlook, the chances may be slim.
One situation I can imagine is that Paul George stays on the Thunder and the Lakers know that they can only sign LeBron James. If that is the case, the team can try to package Brandon Ingram, Luol Deng, the Cavaliers’ 2018 first-round pick and a lottery protected 2019 pick for Marc Gasol and the fourth overall pick.
Fans do not like the idea of trading Ingram and I do not blame them. However, with LeBron starting at the three, the Lakers could run a starting lineup of Lonzo Ball, Doncic, LeBron, Julius Randle and Marc Gasol.
The team would even maintain enough cap space to bring in Paul George instead of resigning Julius Randle (although they own Bird Rights).
With George, and without Randle, the starting five would be Ball, Doncic, George, LeBron, Gasol. Regardless, that is a pretty fun team to watch.