Lakers 'Aggressively' Trying to Buy Their Way Into NBA Draft Says LA Insider
The Lakers front office is well aware of the fact that they need to add at least one thing that sorely lacked on last year's ancient team: youth.
LA is likely to exercise team options on Austin Reaves (24), Wenyen Gabriel (25), and Stanley Johnson (26). Guard Kendrick Nunn (27), who missed the entire season with a knee injury, previously stated that he intends to pick up his player option at the end of this month. Even with that quartet returning, the Lakers are still trying to get younger.
Apparently, the front office is even willing to spend some extra cash to accomplish that goal. In a report by The LA Times' Dan Woike, the Lakers are looking to buy their way into the NBA 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."
LA is long on payroll and short on draft picks. Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis are on the books next year for a combined $129.5M. The team doesn't own a single pick in the 2022 Draft thanks to previous wheelings and dealings that created a roster that finished eleventh in the Western Conference this past season.
There's a myriad of reasons the Lakers were dreadful last year, but their over-the-hill-veteran-bench played a key role. LA had a historically old roster. The roster's average age was 29.6, which wouldn't had been a problem if they had the right old guys. Fact is, they didn't.
Which is why vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and his staff are feverishly trying to get their hands on a second round pick. Pelinka needs to set up rookie head coach Darvin Ham for success, and that starts with getting younger.
