Lakers Draft News: Los Angeles Likely To Lose 2017 First-Round Pick To Philadelphia 76ers

When NBA teams finish the season with one of the league’s worst records, they can usually hang their hat on the fact that they’ll have a high pick in the upcoming draft. But despite being one of the NBA’s bottom-feeders, the Los Angeles Lakers might not have a top first-round selection in 2017.

Dating back to the trade they made in 2012 to acquire Steve Nash, the Lakers owe the Philadelphia 76ers a first-round draft pick. L.A.’s selection will go to Philadelphia this year if it falls outside of the top three. If the Lakers earn a top-three pick in May’s draft lottery, they will keep their 2017 pick and the 76ers will get Los Angeles’ 2018 first-rounder.

The Lakers’ pick originally belonged to the Phoenix Suns, who sent Nash to Los Angeles, but the Suns traded the selection to Philadelphia in 2015. Nash only played 65 games for the Lakers as the team paid him $28 million over three seasons.

With just four games left in the 2016-2017 regular season, the odds are against L.A. holding onto their pick this year. The Lakers have the NBA’s third-worst record, giving them a 51.3 percent chance of getting the No.4, No.5 or No.6 pick in the lottery. Los Angeles currently has a 16.4 percent chance to win the first overall pick.

Losing their first-round pick this year would also hamper L.A. in future drafts. The Lakers’ 2012 trade in which they acquired Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic stipulates that if they lose their 2017 first-rounder, L.A’s 2019 first-rounder will be conveyed to Orlando. If the Lakers end up in the top-three of this year’s lottery and keep their pick, the Magic will instead get the team’s second-rounder in 2017 and 2018.

Ironically, it’s the Suns, with whom L.A. made the original Nash trade, that control the Lakers’ draft odds. With the Brooklyn Nets out of reach for the league’s worst record, the Suns and Lakers are battling to finish with the NBA’s second-worst record. With three games left on their schedule, Phoenix has two more losses than Los Angeles.

The team that finishes with the second-worst record will have a 54.2 percent chance to land a top-three pick in the lottery. With the most losses in the NBA, the Nets have a 64.2 percent chance to get one of the first three selections.

If the Lakers end up losing their pick to the 76ers, it won’t be for a lack of trying by the front office. L.A. has played Timofey Mozgov just once since the All-Star Break, and Luol Deng hasn’t gotten into a game since the end of February. Nick Young has sat out of the team’s last nine games, but that hasn’t stopped the Lakers from pulling off back-to-back upsets, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs.

About to complete their fourth straight season with less than 30 wins, the Lakers selected De’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram with the No.2 overall picks in the last two drafts, respectively. L.A. took Julius Randle seventh overall in 2014.

With a top-three pick in June, L.A. would only have a handful of players on their radar. Washington’s Markelle Fultz is the favorite to go first overall, while Kansas’ Joshua Jackson and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball are also likely to be among the first three players taken.

The Lakers do have another first-round pick in the 2017 draft, though it won't be near the lottery. They own the Houston Rockets' pick, which will likely end up being the No.28 overall selection.

The Nets have it even worse than the Lakers. Favored to get the first overall selection, Brooklyn will be forced to swap picks with the Boston Celtics because of the blockbuster trade the two teams made in 2013.