Complete 2017 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams
Los Angeles Lakers
Lonzo Ball (No. 2), Kyle Kuzma (No. 27), Josh Hart (No. 30), Thomas Bryant (No. 42)
The D’Angelo Russell trade was a Mozgov salary dump that was hard to defend. The Los Angeles Lakers gave up on a No. 2 overall pick (who had shown flashes of potential) WAY too soon, and it was all in the service of clearing a contract that could’ve been moved down the line…just on the outside chance LeBron James might actually want to come to L.A in 2018.
Signing Paul George and the King would be well worth the risk, but it was a hard deal to defend in and of itself.
The dude the Lakers signed at like 12:05 on July 1 last year just cost the former No. 2 pick to dump
— Mike Prada. (PRAY-duh) (@MikePradaNBA) June 20, 2017
In the actual draft, however, the Lakers did a pretty exceptional job landing their next potential franchise point guard in Lonzo Ball. Forget about the dad; this kid can play. His pass-first mentality is exactly what this young core — and a future team possibly featuring PG-13 and LeBron — needs to move forward.
Kyle Kuzma at No. 27 provides a combo forward who can shoot the three-ball and also help the Lakers cover their bases in the event of further dealings down the road.
Kuzma pick feels like a hedge in case the Lakers end up dealing either Nance or Randle in a different deal.
— Darius Soriano (@forumbluegold) June 23, 2017
Josh Hart at No. 30 is a stellar pick. The Villanova product is a proven winner who can shoot and play excellent defense. He’s older, but also more experienced and brings a winner’s mentality to the locker room.
Finally, Thomas Bryant from Indiana is a great pick at No. 42, giving Los Angeles some depth and even three-point shoooting at the 5 behind Brook Lopez and Ivica Zubac. With Lopez coming off the books next summer, the frontcourt is about to get a whole lot younger, and potentially more exciting.
If not for the Russell trade — and even including the Russell trade that will look dumb if they can’t land Paul George and/or LeBron James — the 2017 NBA Draft was a successful debut for Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka.
Grade: A-