Heading into the 2023 NBA Draft, there were rumors that the Los Angeles Lakers would end up trading the No. 17 overall pick to acquire a win-now player to help squeeze out one more championship with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But it was clear that Rob Pelinka chose to prioritize the future by staying put at 17th to select Jalen Hood-Schifino. Still, the Lakers failed to make a move that could have netted them more assets or acquired a veteran piece that could help them win now — and that is packaging Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley in a draft day trade.
Los Angeles wound up with two rookies in the 2023 NBA Draft. Apart from Hood-Schifino at 17, they also took Maxwell Lewis at No. 47. While the Lakers may be happy with who they ended up taking in the draft, they could have maximized their championship window if they were able to move Bamba and/or Beasley and even potentially one of or both the 17th and 47th picks to get a proven veteran.
Here is why the Lakers will regret not being able to do so on Thursday.
1 big mistake by Lakers in 2023 NBA Draft
Well, the Lakers can't do anything now since they just waived Bamba and declined Beasley's team option for next season. Bamba was going to make $10.3 million next season, while Beasley would have made $16.5 million. It's unfortunate that Los Angeles is letting go of both of them without getting anything in return.
Surely, Rob Pelinka fielded some offers on draft night to trade those two pieces. There were rumblings before the draft that the Lakers were trying to ship Bamba, Beasley, and the 17th pick to acquire Myles Turner and Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers. The Lakers have long coveted those two players as pieces they could seamlessly fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Turner is one of the best shot-blocking big men in the NBA who could also space the floor on the offensive end, which would allow Davis and James to do their damage in the paint. Meanwhile, Hield is one of the best and most efficient outside shooters in the league, which again, would open up the inside for James and Davis and would give Los Angeles a consistent and elite threat from the perimeter.
There's no knowing what other deals were out there for Los Angeles for Bamba or Beasley for that matter. But they certainly could have received anything in return — perhaps a second rounder or two that they could use in future drafts or even trades. Unfortunately, nothing truly materialized.
Nonetheless, it's become clear the Lakers did what they did on Thursday to stay below the $172 million luxury tax threshold for the 2023-24 season. Likewise, those moves cleared the way for Los Angeles to sign a free agent using the full $12.4 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception.
This could very well turn to the Lakers' favor if they are able to land a quality free agent using that non-taxpayer midlevel exception. Among their reported targets include Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez and newly-crowned NBA champion forward Bruce Brown from the Denver Nuggets. Those two would certainly become key pieces for the Lakers and landing one of them wouldn't have been possible if they are over the luxury tax threshold.
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