The NBA Draft is currently set for Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 4:00 p.m. PT, and the Los Angeles Lakers will have the No. 28 pick. (UPDATE: They now don't have a pick after their trade for Dennis Schroder, but could still buy a second-rounder).
With a good chunk of their roster set to test free agency, if they don’t trade their selection in search of more veteran help — a real possibility, one would assume — they also seem set to look hard at a lot of guards to restock their backcourt and replenish their corp of young talent.
So far, the names linked to them have followed that trend, with TCU guard Desmond Bane the one player (as of this article’s original publishing) to confirm he’s interviewed with Assistant GM and Director of Scouting Jesse Buss, and the Lakers reportedly being one of several organizations to be high on Stanford guard Tyrell Terry, who is rising up boards and has broken records for his performance on the IQ tests teams administer.
It’s easy to see why. Rajon Rondo is expected to enter free agency and is already generating interest. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is similarly projected to test the market, and might have a high price tag. Avery Bradley could also theoretically opt out of his deal — even if he’s not expected to — and Quinn Cook only has $1 million of his $3 million salary for next season guaranteed, meaning he could find himself used as a trade asset or cut to create a roster spot. All of that potential turnover in the backcourt is probably why mock drafts are persistently linking the Lakers to guards in the draft, including SB Nation’s own Ricky O’Donnell.
Again, this all depends on if the Lakers actually keep this pick, or use it in a deal since it’s one of their best trade assets, but until the draft takes place, we will be keeping track of everyone the team is linked to below, so bookmark this page and check back here for the latest updates.
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