Draft Prospects: Los Angeles Lakers

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The 2007 NBA Draft is just over two weeks away. The Los Angeles Lakers currently possess the 19th, 40th (from the Charlotte Bobcats) and 48th picks. Though LA may be able to land a solid player with their first round pick, there's a solid chance they trade it on or before June 28th.

Speaking to season ticket holders in April at the Los Angeles Lakers' Town Hall Meeting, General Manager Mitch Kupchak downplayed this year's draft:

I'm not excited about having three draft choices. I don't think this team needs more young players. I would like to get prospects, but I don't think that's going to be the way we'll make this team better going forward. If there are opportunities to move a pick or several picks to get the veteran player we need. I think that's more attractive to me right now.

While that may be deflating to the die-hard draft enthusiast, there's no guarantee the Los Angeles Lakers find the right deal before for the draft.

LA may in fact need to use their picks with the basic assumptions that Kobe Bryant, Luke Walton and Chris Mihm are all returning next season:

PG: Jordan Farmar\Sasha Vujacic
SG: Kobe Bryant\Mo Evans
SF: Luke Walton\Vladimir Radmanovic
PF: Lamar Odom\Ronny Turiaf\Brian Cook
C: Andrew Bynum\Kwame Brown\Chris Mihm

That would leave three roster spots available for any picks and free agent signing(s) via the Mid-Level Exception (MLE ~$5.5-$6 mil) and/or veteran's minimum.

The team clearly needs to add a point guard. Since the triangle offense does not require a traditional point, the Los Angeles Lakers may look to draft a versatile shooting guard or small forward with ball-handling/initiating skills.

With both Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm still recovering from surgeries, LA could use additional size . . . at least in the second round.

Here is the latest (unofficial) workout list culled from various sources:

Point Guards
Bobby Brown (6'1") - projected early to mid second
Javaris Crittenton (6'5") - late lottery to mid first
Brandon Heath (6'3")

Shooting Guards
Arron Afflalo (6'5") - projected early second
Russell Carter (6'4") - mid second
Daequan Cook (6'6") - late first
Coby Karl (6'4") - bottom second
Nick Young (6'6") - late lottery

Small Forwards
Jared Dudley (6'7") - projected late first
Caleb Green (6'8") - late second
Dominic McGuire (6'8") - early second

Power Forwards
Josh McRoberts (6'10") - projected mid first
Abdoulaye N'Diaye (6'11")

Centers
James Hughes (6'11")
Major Wingate (6'10")

Though this list may not be complete, it appears the Los Angeles Lakers are focusing primarily on their second round options.

Both Crittenton and Young would be solid choices at 19. McRoberts would seem to be a natural triangle fit as well at the four.

The odds of an Acie Law, Jeff Green, Julian Wright or the like dropping all the way to 19 are extremely thin.

Thaddeus Young is an intriguing prospect who might be available when the Los Angeles Lakers pick, but he seems an unlikely match with Kupchak's win-now directive.

Afflalo would be a nice choice at 40. Pairing him up with Jordan Farmar, his former backcourt mate at UCLA would play well with the local crowd. Afflalo may develop into a player similar to Bruce Bowen or even Raja Bell . . . a defensive stopper with a solid three-point stroke.

The Los Angeles Lakers desperately need help slowing down dribble penetration . . .

If LA lands Crittenton, Afflalo and a project big man on June 28th, they'll have had a nice draft.

Compromise
Then again . . . a "nice draft" probably won't solve the major issues the Los Angeles Lakers are faced with this summer (specifically pressure from both Kobe Bryant and the fans to field a roster that should be able to advance well beyond the first round of the playoffs).

When the offseason first began it was easy to toss around a bunch of big names like Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol and Jermaine O'Neal.

Of the three, it appears the Los Angeles Lakers have a solid chance to land the Indiana Pacers' All-Star.

The Pacers are looking to rebuild and carrying an injury prone player with a $64 million contract over three years is quite restrictive. While O'Neal has had some great years in Indiana, the Pacers haven't found much of a market considering his salary.

The Los Angeles Lakers have two key assets (not including Kobe Bryant) that are attractive to various teams: Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom.

While O'Neal would improve the Laker defense significantly, his low field goal percentage is a worry. To give up both Andrew Bynum and Odom is simply too much for the Los Angeles Lakers to pay for O'Neal.

While a trade built around Odom and Kwame Brown would match O'Neal's salary, LA would be hard pressed to find a workable combination of players to send with Andrew Bynum (at least before July).

Since Indiana doesn't have a draft pick, LA's 19th selection is an attractive piece . . . but that's a problem if a deal sending out Andrew Bynum can't happen until weeks after the draft.

While the Pacers may find Andrew Bynum a compelling piece, Odom gives them enough to compete now in the East whereas the Laker center is still a year or two away from being a high impact contributor.

The Pacers actually tried to trade up in the 1999 NBA Draft for Odom, making a deal with the Raptors for their fifth pick. Unfortunately for them, the Los Angeles Clippers took him fourth and Indiana settled on Jonathan Bender.

Indiana may be willing to compromise and take an Odom package that included the 19th pick (and Kwame Brown to match salaries).

Odom has indicated recently that he'd like a contract extension if traded to the Pacers (or anywhere for that matter). That may be an issue Indiana and Odom would have to hash out post-trade. The Pacers would be acquiring the Laker forward with the hopes that he becomes a long-term piece.

Of course the Los Angeles Lakers would then have to compromise in return. While taking on O'Neal's salary is not insignificant, a Andrew Bynum-less package would in all likelihood require an additional concession to the Pacers.

To get a deal done, LA would probably have to take one of Indiana's long-term contracts . . . Jamaal Tinsley, Mike Dunleavy or Troy Murphy.

While it's easy to say Dunleavy or Murphy may be a better fit in the triangle, sometimes getting a deal done means taking a player who is less than ideal.

The Los Angeles Lakers certainly need a point guard, but Tinsley (at least on paper) is not really suited for the triangle offense. He's injury prone and has had some off-court/attitude issues that would naturally give the Los Angeles Lakers pause.

While Dunleavy and Murphy may prove valuable under new coach Jim O'Brien, Tinsley has far less good will left in the Pacer organization.

Indiana was once moments away from the NBA Finals with a team built around players like O'Neal, Tinsley, Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson. Unfortunately that group never got over the brawl in Auburn Hills.

Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown + 19th pick for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley would help the Pacers turn the page completely while saving in the neighborhood of $55 million dollars in committed salary.

No, they wouldn't get the bright Laker center prospect but the Los Angeles Lakers may not be willing at this point to trade Andrew Bynum at all.

The Pacers in compromising would finally turn the page on an ugly piece of history. They'd gain financial flexibility, a draft pick, a versatile player in Odom and a last year contract (Kwame Brown).

The Los Angeles Lakers would compromise while taking on an enormous contract load that would likely mean a hefty luxury tax bill.

They'd also be adding a less than ideal point guard . . . but at least they'd be addressing one of the rosters biggest deficiencies with an experienced, albeit flawed veteran who still has some upside.

LA could then look to take a player like Afflalo and a project big man with their pair of second-round picks (Sean Williams, Nick Fazekas, Glen Davis, Kyle Visser, Herbert Hill, Jermareo Davidson, etc).

PG: Jamaal Tinsley/Jordan Farmar/Sasha Vujacic
SG: Kobe Bryant/Mo Evans/Arron Afflalo
SF: Luke Walton/Vladimir Radmanovic
PF: Jermaine O'Neal/Ronny Turiaf/Brian Cook
C:Andrew Bynum/Chris Mihm/Second-round pick

The Los Angeles Lakers would still have their MLE, perhaps for a veteran like Grant Hill (though that's just asking for another Vlade Divac, Aaron McKie situation), James Posey, Ruben Patterson, etc.

The Bottom Line
The Los Angeles Lakers clearly need to improve quickly, lest they risk further trade demands from Kobe Bryant.

Improving through the draft may be ideal considering the rookie scale contracts but Laker GM Mitch Kupchak sees the writing on the wall.

It's going to take a dramatic deal for the Los Angeles Lakers to survive the summer intact.

While the perfect trade is a rarity . . . it may be time for a compromise.

[More at www.hoopsworld.com]