LA set to swap D’Angelo Russell for top-5 pick?

Rumors have suggested Kevin Durant may come to Tinseltown in free agency, but the more definite reality sees the team’s front office grabbing a promising prospect with the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft.

Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield is arguably a top-10 pick.

However, speculations are out that Mitch Kupchak and company are also keen on acquiring either Providence point guard Kris Dunn or Croatia’s Dragan Bender, two other potential top five selections this year, which is why they are willing to trade Russell for the picks of either the Boston Celtics (no. 3), Phoenix Suns (no. 4), or Minnesota Timberwolves (no. 5) before draft night. The only concern they have with Ingram is league readiness due to his lack of strength.

Last years top pick D’Angelo Russell is apparently on the trading block according to recent reports. Things became even more complicated between the Lakers and Russell when he began having issues in the locker room.

The Lakers were a disaster in Kobe Bryant’s final season and Russell was a disappointment off the court.

Sports Rageous reported that the Lakers might opt for swapping D’Angelo to Bulls as they would get Derrick Rose in return at the point guard position.

Dealing Russell for another pick may not affect the Lakers’ timeline that much, meaning it may still be a while before the team can be good enough again to compete for a title as they wait for their young players to develop.

The best case scenario the Lakers may have would be to give Russell a fresh start with new head coach Luke Walton and hope that he comes back regrouped for his sophomore season with his rookie season complications put behind him.

The Lakers’ young players have also learned the most important rule of the National Basketball Association offseason: if you work out, make sure you put some documentation of it on social media.

Going the latter route could be a safer move since the veteran they could bring in would already have the established track record younger players would not be able to offer. So they must figure out how to properly go about handling this asset with care.