The Los Angeles Lakers, who hold the no. 17 and now no. 40 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, are candidates to trade up, down, or out of the proceedings altogether. With the draft hours away, every option remains on the table.

Los Angeles can package picks and the contracts of Malik Beasley ($16.5 million) and/or Mo Bamba ($10.3 million) for an established player, such as Brooklyn Nets wings Dorian Finney-Smith or Royce O'Neale, Toronto Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr., or Buddy Hield or Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers.

It also makes sense to trade down for multiple picks, considering the track record of the Lakers' developmental pipeline and the increasing value of populating rosters with inexpensive youth as the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is phased in.

The other option for the Lakers — who are attempting to reconstruct a championship-caliber team around LeBron James and Anthony Davis in 2023-24 while simultaneously preparing for the future — is to move up in order to nab a player on a rookie contract who can instantly become a rotation piece.

If the Lakers go the latter route, one name to watch happens to have a (first) name quite significant in Lakers lore.

“Los Angeles has held discussions about moving up into the lottery, with some rival personnel believing the target is Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin,” Yahoo's Jake Fischer wrote in his latest roundup of draft-related intel.

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel ranks Bufkin at no. 18 on his Big Board and has him going to the Raptors at no. 13 in his updated mock. Siegel notes that there's a “growing belief across the league that Kobe Bufkin will be a lottery pick.”

Here's what Siegel says about the 6'4 combo guard, who averaged 14.0 points per game on 35.5% 3-point shooting for the Wolverines as a sophomore in 2022-23:

“A quick and explosive guard with the ball in his hands, Kobe Bufkin continues to rise up draft boards. There is now some talk about Bufkin possibly moving into the lottery on draft night. Many teams are beginning to show interest in Bufkin because of his two-way play and his length as a combo guard. Perhaps the best part of Bufkin's game is the fact that he can play with or without the ball and make an impact offensively by getting to his spots, which will make him a viable secondary option right away during his rookie year.”

For the Lakers to move up, they'd likely have to package the no. 17 pick with Beasley/Bamba plus another asset — either a distant first-rounder (2029 or 2030) or multiple second-rounders. (They are reportedly not interested in trading Max Christie.) The Lakers might have to take back an unwanted contract. They have no more cash to use in trades after sending $4.35 million to Indiana for the no. 40 pick.

Another Michigan man, Jett Howard (son of head coach Juwan Howard), has also been linked to the Lakers. If Los Angeles trades down, Howard might be available in the early-20s. Howard has ways to go on defense, but he would instantly contribute as a floor spacer.

Pelinka, FWIW, was a member of the Fab Five teams at Michigan.