The first chance that most teams in the NBA will have to upgrade their roster this offseason will be the 2022 NBA Draft. But, there are a few teams in the league that won’t have that opportunity because of previous moves made.
One of the teams that are not currently slated to have a selection in the 2022 NBA Draft is the Los Angeles Lakers. They have surrendered a ton of draft capital in recent years as they have been in win-now mode since LeBron James joined the roster.
However, the Lakers are going to do whatever they can to get their way into the draft. According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times in a recent mailbag, the purple and gold are going to aggressively look to trade into the draft.
“The Lakers will aggressively try to buy their way into the second round. Teams can use cash in trades, and while any pick acquisition might require future second-rounders, it’s a safe bet that they’ll try.”
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The Lakers have been involved in plenty of trade rumors already this offseason, but almost all of them have centered around Russell Westbrook and acquiring established players to help the team get back on track during the upcoming season. However, this is a roster that is in need of talent any way they can come across it, so if the opportunity to trade into the draft arises, they will pounce.
Until the draft begins and the board begins to take shape, it is tough to pinpoint which teams the Lakers could engage in trade negotiations with. Will they look to add a selection as part of a bigger deal, or will they buy a selection as suggested by Woike?
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A handful of teams have multiple second-round picks, so that is who the purple and gold could look to purchase a selection from. The Golden State Warriors are one team that stands out as they are likely to hold onto multiple rookies given that they, too, are in win-now mode. The Cleveland Cavaliers are another playoff contender with multiple second-round picks that could be open to selling one for the right price.
