Getty The L.A. Lakers considered trading LeBron James according to reports.
Following a home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers essentially saw their playoff hopes dashed in the loss. However, they did likely cement their place in the NBA draft lottery and as such have an outside shot at landing super-prospect Zion Williamson.
Although unlikely, the Lakers do face one of the tougher remaining schedules and have an opportunity to fall even further down in the standings to increase their potential draft position. The Lakers end the year with a brutal stretch involving Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Updated Lakers Lottery Chances
According to Tankathon’s lottery projections system, the Lakers currently have the highest chance to land the 12th overall pick at 86.1%. The Lakers also have a 7.6% chance to land the 13th pick and a .1% chance to fall back to the 14th overall selection.
“80% goes to Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka for putting this team together. And 20% goes to LeBron James. … It’s a shame. I’m so disappointed. I’m so upset with these Lakers. That was pathetic. I shouldn’t have came into work.” — @ShannonSharpe
However small, the Lakers do have an outside chance to still win the NBA draft lottery, or at least fall in the top four. Though it is extremely unlikely to happen, the Lakers have 1.3% chance at the first pick, 1.4% chance for the second, 1.6% chance for third and 1.8% for the fourth pick.
Despite being in the playoff picture just a few short weeks ago, FiveThirtyEight’s ELO forecast now actually gives the Lakers a worse chance of making the NBA Playoffs (less than one percent) compared to winning the NBA Draft Lottery.
Lakers Roster Outlook
Hampered by a serious bout with the injury bug, the Lakers come limping into tonight’s matchup down Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Lance Stephenson, and Tyson Chandler all at best questionable for the matchup against Denver. The Lakers also reportedly at one point had interest in bringing in Carmelo Anthony to help add some shooting, but talks dissipated when the Lakers playoff chances went down the drain.
With the only long-term contract on the books being James’ max deal, the Lakers have a ton of cap flexibility heading into the offseason and will likely look like a very different basketball team by the time the 2019-2020 season rolls around. Especially when you consider that the upcoming free agent class is expected to be loaded and headlined potentially by Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and Kawhi Leonard.
While many of those players could potentially opt into a player option, it is expected that at the very least Durant, Irving, and Leonard will be hitting the open market. DeMarcus Cousins is another option who will be back on the market next season and will be most likely worked fully back into his top form following what will likely be a deep playoff run.
Should the Lakers bring in one of these stars to play alongside LeBron James and their young core continues to develop, this could actually be a serious contender in the Western Conference come next season.
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