Lakers Trade Rumors: 76ers interested in trading up for No. 2 pick to draft D'Angelo Russell, according to report

The NBA Draft is nearing and teams are starting to close-in on their final decisions for the big night. The Philadelphia 76ers are interested in moving up from the No. 3 spot to ensure they're the team draft D'Angelo Russell, reports Ken Berger of CBS Sports. That means the Los Angeles Lakers might be able to trade down one spot, still select Jahlil Okafor, and potentially acquire another piece from Philadelphia.

The Lakers are said to be leaning "80-20" in favor of selecting Okafor, so sweetening the pot by extracting something from the Sixers could be beneficial. Russell has worked out with the Lakers twice, and recently spilled his heart out about wanting the Lakers to draft him in a telling interview worth reading. If the Lakers are set on Okafor, there's no reason not to squeeze a little more out of it. If D'Angelo is the player at the top of their list, though? Perhaps the Lakers stick with the pick, or make a leverage play to get a better asset from Philadelphia.

Here's what Berger had to say regarding a Sixers-Lakers swap:

League sources say the Sixers want D'Angelo Russell and are willing to trade up from the No. 3 spot to get him. It would create an interesting opportunity for the Lakers, who could still get Jahlil Okafor and extract a future pick in the process. Among others, the Sixers control the Lakers' 2016 first-round pick, which is top-3 protected.

A potential win-win situation for all sides could be in the future, but it's just as likely both teams stand pat and still end up with the players they have targeted regardless of the details.