The Los Angeles Lakers are willing to exchange the No. 2 overall pick with the Phoenix Suns No. 4 selection if the Suns will add a 2018 first-round pick. Chad Ford of ESPN reported that the Lakers had an internal discussion where they tackled the possibility of trading down to No. 4 if the Suns will add a top pick next season. Ford added that the Lakers believe that either Lonzo Ball or Josh Jackson will be available at No. 4. If not, the Lakers are willing to take De’Aaron Fox or Jayson Tatum if they are still on the board.
The Lakers don’t have a first round pick next season as they already shipped it to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a previous trade.
The Lakers are willing to trade down, confident that either one of Ball, Jackson, Fox or Tatum will be available at No. 4. The Lakers will work out Ball for the second time Friday at an undisclosed location to fully understand his regimen better. During their first workout, the Lakers were unimpressed with Ball’s conditioning.
Lakers “taking and making calls” about No. 2 pick
Earlier, it was reported that the Lakers are “taking and making calls” about the No. 2 overall pick, hoping that it can land them a superstar, whom they can build around in an effort to regain their old glory. The Lakers were reported to be interested in trading the No. 2 overall pick for Paul George of the Indiana Pacers but it was too risky as the All-Star forward has only one year remaining in his contract and could become a free agent after this season.
Lakers might land Markelle Fultz at No. 2
Boston is expected to take Markelle Fultz as No. 1 overall pick but there is a strong possibility that they may take Jackson, who cancelled a workout with the Celtics this week. One general manager said Celtics team president Danny Ainge may see Jackson as an ideal fit for Boston with his toughness, athleticism and versatility.
Also, the Celtics have an All-Star point guard in Isaiah Thomas so taking one from the 2017 Draft is unnecessary. If the Celtics take Fultz, they will have four point guards in their roster -- Thomas, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart, creating a logjam. In this situation, the Celtics may opt to use Thomas as trade bait in the summer rather than allow him to demand a max contract amounting to $30 million per year in 2018.
With his MVP-like performance last season, many teams will be interested in trading their best player for Thomas, who led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals where they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
