5 Trades Lakers Should Consider For Their No. 17 Pick in the 2024 NBA Draft

Anfernee Simons to Lakers

If the Lakers want to get more shooting and scoring but don't want to pay a premium price, Anfernee Simons could be their guy. The 25-year-old combo guard is basically a poor man's Trae Young. He can run the pick-and-roll, pull up from anywhere on the court, and score in bunches.

He is not the passer or playmaker Trae Young is but his ability to play on or off the ball would be valuable on this Lakers team. Simons averaged 22.6 points and 5.5 assists last year on 38.5% shooting from three. He is one of the most underrated off-the-dribble shooters in the league, having made over 3 threes per game in each of the last three seasons.

Landing Simons would likely require an additional first-rounder on top of the No. 17 pick in this year's draft. Add Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent and the rebuilding Trail Blazers will be hard-pressed to turn down the offer.

Simons has two more years on his contract, paying him a total of $53 million for that span. This allows the Lakers to maintain some financial flexibility for the next two years and the fact that they are holding onto some of their assets means that they can make more moves to improve the roster.