The Los Angeles Lakers will know where they stand in the draft lottery in about two more weeks.
But the Lakers only keep their 2016 first-round pick if it is a top-three selection. If they come up fourth or lower in the lottery on May 17, the pick goes to the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to Tankathon, the Lakers have a 55.8 percent chance of staying in the top three and a 19.9 percent chance of obtaining the first overall pick.
But even if the Lakers do get the No. 1 pick, the team will trade it away, multiple sources have told Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd.
“I’ve been told by 2 separate sources — even if the Lakers get the No. 1 pick, they’re trading it.” – @ColinCowherdhttps://t.co/kHG6mV9TPP
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 3, 2016
As Cowherd mentioned, the Lakers are tired of rebuilding and want to get a star player now that Kobe Bryant, the face of the franchise for the last two decades, has retired.
True, they could get a star player in free agency, but there’s no guarantee LeBron James, Kevin Durant and DeMar DeRozan are going to come walking through that door like Magic Johnson suggested earlier this week. By offering the top draft pick, should they get it, the Lakers stand a better chance at getting a star player in return.
There’s a lot riding on May 17. We’ll see what happens for the Lakers.