June 13th, 2011

Will Four Second-Round Draft Picks Help the Lakers?

EEUU - JERRY BUSS

Andre Khatchaturian

The season is over and it’s time to focus on the 2011 NBA Draft.

For the Lakers though, it will be very interesting to see what they do with their picks. This season, because of trades made throughout the past few seasons, the Lakers do not have a first round draft pick. And even if they did, it would be a late first-round draft pick.

Looking at past history, Laker draft picks have not even played for the team. They’ve mostly been late first round draft picks or late second round draft picks. This happens because of the Lakers’ success, so they get stuck with poor draft picks. Most of the time the Lakers just trade their picks. They did so to acquire Pau Gasol a few years ago. Because of this, the Lakers get stuck with a bunch of Chinemelu Elonus and Joe Crawfords.

It’s not that the Lakers don’t draft well. Guys like Ronny Turiaf and Jordan Farmar have gone on to have solid careers. It’s that the Lakers team is so stacked it’s extremely difficult for a young player to just make the team.

So now the Lakers are stuck with four draft picks in the second-round this season. Most of these won’t crack the Lakers roster. Does it make sense for the Lakers to get rid of their draft picks then?

Of course it does.

First off, the Lakers have the 41st, 46th, 56th, and 58th picks. None of these guys are likely to get a spot on the team, especially in a very weak draft. The Lakers are better off trading all four picks to a team that can use them in exchange for a solid bench player.

Does it make sense for the Lakers to draft guys that are never going to play for the team and have them just leave with no compensation? Of course not. So trade them away. The Lakers can use the depth.

They don’t have to get a star player in return. They probably won’t be able to. But there are plenty of teams that can use those extra draft picks, with the hopes of one of them becoming a relevant player. The Lakers in return can get a guy that will provide for them off the bench and bring depth.

Let’s be honest, the NBA draft has become a dull event amongst Laker fans. A trade, especially since the CBA hasn’t expired yet, will provide an exciting change for Laker fans and perhaps even help the team.

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