While the Los Angeles Lakers may have a chance at getting the No. 1 overall pick after finishing with the second worst record in the NBA, it doesn't necessarily mean they're going to use it.
Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports 1 reports that the Lakers will likely be trading their top-three pick in order to get a superstar player in return:
“I've now been told by two separate sources, even if the Lakers get the No. 1 pick they're trading it,” Cowherd said during The Herd. “They don't want to rebuild anymore. They want to get a star NBA player. They will call teams if they get the No. 1 pick and shop it around the league. “
This all depends on how the lottery pans out. Los Angeles can only keep its pick if it's in the top three—they currently have a 55.8 percent chance of doing so. As far as getting the No. 1 overall pick, they have a 19.9 percent chance of that happening.
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Provided all of the chips fall into place for the Lakers, it would make sense if they were to trade their top overall pick for assets that can help them win now.
Over the past two years, the team has spent top picks on players such as Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell. While the team could land a star prospect like Ben Simmons with the No. 1 pick in the draft, the team probably wouldn't have any veterans to lead the kids by example.
There is also a question of how Simmons would fit in the lineup with Randle currently occupying the starting power forward spot.
Either way, it should be an interesting offseason for the Lakers after the hire of Luke Walton as head coach.
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