NBA Draft Day! Are the Lakers Planning to Trade the 17th Pick?

The NBA Draft is here!

So... what do the Lakers do? That's the big question facing the team. Do they keep the 17th pick, and draft a player they intend to keep? Could they package the pick for an established veteran, pushing more chips into the center of the table in an effort to maximize the LeBron James window? And if so, who do they target?

That possibility seems to be gaining momentum, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who reports the Lakers are increasingly likely to make a deal. That could be for players like Buddy Hield and/or Myles Turner from Indiana, two guys long entangled in Lakers-related rumors. What about lesser players like Royce O'Neale or Dorian Finney-Smith, two guys from Brooklyn who would likely come at a lighter price? What's worth it? How good does a player need to be to sacrifice a pick, or even two?

It's a delicate balance, because if the Lakers trade back, they could also bolster their chances of landing on players with trade appeal, which could come in handy down the road. (And not necessarily that far down the road.) Would it make sense to load up on picks?

And how does Wednesday's trade-that-wasn't (note: show recorded before the eventual trade-that-was) impact the Lakers? Malcolm Brogdon seemed destined for the Clippers, which could have taken them out of the market for Chris Paul. Or at the least, changed it. Now they still have all their pieces, and still need a point guard, and go back to being the favorites to land him via trade, which obviously prevents the Lakers from signing CP3 for the minimum.

It's gonna be an interesting day!!!

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Rumors are heating up the Lakers could trade the 17th pick for an established vet.

SEGMENT 2: Who would you flip the pick for? Who is good enough to make it worth it? Turner? Dorian Finney-Smith? Royce O'Neale?

SEGMENT 3: How the trade-that-wasn't for the Clippers on Wednesday impacts the Lakers.

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