At the heels of the Celtics and 76ers making a deal with their draft picks, the Lakers are reportedly looking at making a deal to land another first round pick. The Lakers already have the No. 2 and No. 28 overall picks in the first round, but, according to Kyle Boone of CBS Sports, the team has made inquiries about landing a third first round pick.
This speculation could lead to further ones. Are the Lakers looking at gaining another top player in the draft? Are the Lakers looking at gaining a third Draft Pick to acquire Paul George now, who made headlines by saying he wants to join the Lakers?
Here's why both of those questions have a negative answer.
Lakers have nothing valuable to get another first round pick
The Lakers are not going to give up the No. 2 overall pick, and don't have a first-round pick to give in the 2018 draft. The Lakers first round pick is going to Philadelphia, and their second round pick in the same draft is going to Orlando or Toronto. The Lakers do have a second round pick in 2018 coming from Denver, while another second round pick in 2019 is coming from Chicago.
Regardless, the Lakers don't want to give up any of their young assets to receive a first round pick. The only idea that makes sense if the Lakers do draft Lonzo Ball, and ship current point guard, D'Angelo Russell, for some picks.
Russell has plenty of upsides and made a lot of improvement in his second year in the league, but the Lakers have not confirmed they will draft Ball.
Ball could fall out of top three
Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation reported the Lakers won't guarantee they will draft Ball. The Lakers have had DeAaron Fox and Josh Jackson on their radar as well.
Ball has only worked out for the Lakers, so it is unclear where he would fall if the Lakers were to select Fox or Jackson.
If the Lakers select Fox, Jackson would surely go to the Celtics. However, if the Lakers select Jackson, Ball could go to the Celtics. The arrow still points in favor of Ball going to the Lakers, but the team's lack of commitment could lead to other possibilities.
George trade won't happen this year
Why would you give up two first-round picks in a loaded draft class? The answer is you wouldn't. If George says he wants to play in LA next year, president of basketball operations Magic Johnson is going to make it happen. This way, the Lakers keep their young core of Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, potentially Ball, Fox, or Jackson, and make a run at George in a packed free agent class of 2018.
