The Los Angeles Lakers came away from the 2023 NBA draft with two players. LA picked up combo guard Jalen Hood-Schifino from Indiana at No. 17 and wing Maxwell Lewis from Pepperdine at No. 47. These Lakers draft picks are both good on their own, but the best move that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka made in the draft was making these picks at all and resisting the temptation to trade them.
The best Lakers move in the 2023 NBA Draft is making their draft picks
There will come a day when the LeBron James and Anthony Davis Era is over for the Lakers, and that day will likely come soon. Both players are under contract for the 2023-24 NBA season (at a combined $88.2 million), and both have options for the 2024-25 campaign when the two would make a total of $94.6 million.
Chances are, next season is the last for these two together in Lakers gold and purple.
What happens after that? There are still a lot of options, and none will be decided on before next offseason. The team could let James go and build around Davis. They could trade Davis to start a rebuild or give LeBron one more shot at a title with a different crew. Or they could let both go and start from scratch.
General manager Rob Pelinka could even talk both the players into staying one more season and deal with all these options down the line in 2025.
No matter what the ultimate decision is, the outcome is clear. The Lakers will not revolve around James and Davis for much longer.
That said, the 2023-24 campaign is all about taking one last shot at winning another NBA championship.
Because of that fact, there was a lot of temptation, and probably even some pressure, on Pelinka to make trades involving the Lakers’ 2023 NBA Draft picks that would bring in veterans to help the team win next season.
However, as much as co-GM LeBron James probably wanted this to happen — and it, of course, still could — Pelinka has a responsibility to think about the long-term future of the franchise as well as the next 365 days.
To do this, Pelinka made two Lakers draft picks this year, and both were shrewd moves. He sat tight at No. 17 and took Indiana guard Jalen Hood-Schifino. Then, the Lakers got involved in a four-way deal with the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and Oklahoma City Thunder to give the Pacers approximately $4.3 million and the No. 47 pick in the second round to move up to No. 40. With that selection, the Lakers drafted Pepperdine wing Maxwell Lewis.
Both these players could help the Lakers next season as they pursue a championship. Will they help as much as a proven veteran would have in a trade? It’s impossible to know. However, what these Lakers draft picks do for the team is address areas of need — or areas that could become needs depending on how free agency works out.
In Hood-Schifino, LA gets a combo guard who can handle the ball, run the pick-and-roll, and create opportunities for his teammates. Offensively, he will be a great replacement for D’Angelo Russell if the guard leaves Los Angeles. Defensively, he has the potential to be much better than Russell. Plus, no matter what Russell’s next contract looks like, Hood-Schifino’s rookie deal is much more manageable.
Lewis is also a prospect who can fill a role next season on the Lakers’ roster as currently constituted or fill (at least some) of the void left by Austin Reaves if he heads out of town. The Pepperdine star has the skills to be an elite 3-and-D wing in the NBA. He didn’t always show that in college because he was forced to be his team’s star, but all the traits are there to be an excellent role player or even starter down the line.
These two Lakers' draft picks represent Pelinka retaking control of the team that James and Rich Paul have shadow run for way too long. This was the first step toward a LeBron-less future, and Hood-Schifino and Lewis seem like solid steps.
Not only do these prospects add to the team on the court, but their controllable contracts give the Lakers more flexibility in the future.
All that said, Rob Pelinka could turn around and trade these players tomorrow in a deal for more veteran help for Davis and James. It's entirely possible. For now, though, taking young players who help now and in the future was a smart move by LA in the 2023 NBA Draft.
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