Although the Los Angeles Lakers haven’t brought in any outside players this summer, there is still a chance they end up pulling off a trade. After all, there are still about two months to go before training camp starts, and it is barely the mid-point of summer right now.
The problem is, they don’t have that many attractive trade assets. Starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, the one player they have reportedly been actively trying to trade, doesn’t seem to have much value on the market. That is thought to be a major reason he opted into the final year of his contract a few weeks ago rather than opt out and become a free agent.
Austin Reaves, the Lakers’ other starting guard, seems to have trade value around the NBA. But they’re very reluctant to include him in trade discussions, almost to the point where he seems untouchable.
But they do have two future first-round draft picks in 2029 and 2031 that they’re able to include in a potential trade right now, per league rules. Bleacher Report ranked those picks as the league’s fourth-best trade asset.
Via Bleacher Report:
“Betting against the Los Angeles Lakers’ longer-term future is beyond a tempting proposition,” wrote Dan Favale. “LeBron James will turn 40 this December, while Anthony Davis is now 31 and not exactly the billboard for durability.
“Yes, we must factor in the ‘You’re sending them a really good player’ of it all. But getting grips on draft picks that convey a half-decade and seven years out is intensely appealing even if you’re a seller who’s giving them an All-NBA player.
“Timelines change fast in the NBA. That five- to seven-year window could represent three or more different iterations of the Lakers. And the more they turn things over, the more likely one of those selections becomes a high lottery pick.”
It is a knee-jerk reaction to assume the Lakers will be a lottery team around the end of this decade and the start of the next one. By then, James will be long gone, and so could the injury-prone Davis.
At the same time, Favale noted that the franchise could experience another stroke of good fortune before then that could render those first-rounders less valuable.
“Truth be told, there’s probably more of an argument to nudge these picks up a notch or two. But while the landscape of the NBA and player movement has changed, the prospect of the Lakers stumbling into good fortune because of their location and flagship status remains intact.
“Potential trade partners must consider the odds of a player forcing his way to Hollywood in a way they don’t have to when contemplating the value of other teams’ future first-rounders.”
Los Angeles has been understandably reluctant to trade its future first-rounders. But should the right deal come along, which would mean it would receive a star who is young enough, those picks could be gone before one can say “Beat L.A.”
